Turning Points: Chess Match
by elarielf
Summary: AU/"What if" story - What if Lelouch took Schneizel's king in episode 9 of R2? With Suzaku out of the picture, Lelouch takes the opportunity to turn the tables. But then he still has to deal with C.C., Suzaku, Nunnally, the Ragnarok Connection...
1. How About a Game?

"_How about a game of chess? If I win, I want you to hand over Sir Kururugi. I plan to give him to the Lady Kaguya."_

"_Uwah! That would be the most wonderful present!"_

"_Then, if I win, I'll have you take off that mask. Is that fair?"_

"_Fair enough."_

"_Very well. This should be fairly entertaining."_

It wasn't ideal. The game was in a separate room from the Chinese dignitaries and Odysseus, filled with Britannians and knights and the only person Lelouch had on his side was Kallen. He had to trust in Schneizel's sense of honour.

It was nothing close to ideal, but at least the game was interesting.

"He led with the king?" Gasps met Lelouch's move. Lelouch mentally scoffed at their shock. He was used to that reaction by now.

"If the king doesn't lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?"

Schneizel just smiled. "How deep. Well, then…" And Schneizel moved his own king, a psychological rather than tactical manoeuvre, and in only a few more moves, Lelouch had him trapped.

"The game can't advance any further."

Schneizel nodded in agreement. "At this point, it will turn into a threefold repetition."

Lelouch scowled behind his mask. "This wasn't my goal, but shall we leave it at a draw, then?"

Schneizel smiled. "No. Don't underestimate the white king." He moved his own king into check by both Lelouch's king and pawn, placing Lelouch's king into what was technically also check.

"What are you doing?" Lelouch asked. "Handing over victory?"

Schneizel didn't answer, watching the board with a mildly curious expression. Lelouch wavered – taking Schneizel's invitation would be playing into his hands, but retreating…

Suzaku, standing a few feet behind Schneizel, shifted and Lelouch made his decision.

He took the king with his black pawn.

"Hoh?" Schneizel said, looking only slightly interested. "I would have expected you to use the king."

"It's a paltry, honourless victory," Lelouch pointed out. "But we weren't simply playing a game, Your Highness. We were playing for the life of one of your subordinates. I'm a little disappointed that you'd throw him away so easily. I'd rather sacrifice a small amount of pride than any of my soldiers."

"Zero…" Kallen breathed. It was nice to hear.

"Kallen, please escort Sir Kururugi to the ship. Take the Lady Kaguya with you, as well, if you will. I'm sure they have a lot to catch up on."

Suzaku went without a fight, which was a pleasant surprise. The blond knight at his side made a movement towards his sword, but refrained from drawing it, his eyes flashing from Suzaku to Schneizel to Zero.

Lelouch sat back, watching as Kallen gathered Kaguya who bounded cheerfully by Suzaku's side, doubtless chattering the whole way to the transport.

"I believe you were here as Lady Kaguya's guest," Schneizel said. "Now that she's gone, you're here uninvited." A gesture and three of the soldiers on the periphery drew their weapons and pointed them at Lelouch. "It's perhaps unsporting of me to do this, but I'll take my prize despite my loss, if you don't mind."

Lelouch stood with a flourish, careful to face away from any cameras. "I would be more than happy to comply, Your Highness." He removed his mask and Schneizel's secretary gasped. Schneizel's eyes widened slightly, but he didn't react in any other way. Lelouch smiled.

"And now I have a request, for everyone present." Lelouch smiled wickedly, assuring himself that he had everyone's attention before activating his _geass._

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"He's going to _geass_ everyone!" Suzaku shouted suddenly a few minutes after the transport pulled away from the festival hall.

"Of course he is. What did you think the plan was?" Kallen snapped at him.

Kaguya looked at them both, her chatter momentarily silenced by Suzaku's outburst. "What?"

Kallen shrugged. "When it comes to Zero, Suzaku's a little insane. I just plan to agree with whatever he says and shoot him if he's too much trouble."

"Kaguya, you don't know…" Suzaku leaned forward and Kallen placed her hand on her pistol. "He's not human! He has this power that makes people do whatever he says, whether they want to or not. He's evil."

"Insa~ane." Kallen sing-songed, smirking at Suzaku's glare.

Kaguya laughed. "You were never this much fun as a kid, Suzaku."

Suzaku turned his attention back to his cousin. "Think about it, Kaguya. He just sent you and Kallen away and left himself alone, surrounded by enemies. What kind of tactical decision is that? Isn't he supposed to be some sort of genius?"

"He _is_ a genius," Kallen pointed out. "You know that as well as anyone."

"He's a strategic genius," Kaguya clarified. "And sometimes a good strategy looks like bad tactics. I trust he'll be safe."

"That's not the problem," Suzaku muttered. "It's everyone else I'm worried about."

Kallen unholstered her weapon. "Well, stop worrying. Schneizel gave you up and you're our prisoner now. It's not up to you to stop Zero."

"It's always up to me," Suzaku said, his eyes lighting up with the mania of the obsessed. "No one else knows what he is."

"I do," Kallen promised him, pointing her gun at Suzaku's forehead. "And I'll do anything to protect him." She gave a small smile. "No matter who he is."

Suzaku waited for his hated _geass _to activate. Kallen kept the gun level and well-aimed, but didn't make a move towards firing it as long as Suzaku didn't try to escape or attack. His _geass_ was useless.

"Tell us a little about yourself," Kaguya invited him. "What happened after the last time I saw you?"

"I killed my father, enlisted with the Britannian army, watched my princess get shot, betrayed my friend for a spot on the Rounds, and got kidnapped by you." Suzaku's voice was a monotonous drone as he listed off every 'accomplishment'.

Kaguya leaned forward. "Yes, that's all very well and good, but do you have a girlfriend?"

Kallen snorted.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

When Zero finally returned, he was flanked by Schneizel's secretary and the blond Knight of Rounds. He waved down the guns his Black Knights reflexively aimed at the perceived enemies and immediately asked after Suzaku.

"The Lady Kaguya ordered him to one of the guest rooms," One of the Knights explained. "He's under heavy guard, Zero, but…"

"I understand." Zero waved the blond knight forward. "Weinberg, watch over your former colleague, please."

"Yes, Zero." The knight bowed and marched off. The secretary took his place by Zero's side and handed him a clipboard.

Zero looked it over. "It looks reasonable, Kanon. Once we get the Rounds's Knightmares here, we'll implement it. For now, I'll introduce you to Ougi Kaname. You'll be liaising closely with him."

They marched off, leaving confused comrades behind them.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Suzaku paced the room, trying not to look at the deep brown kimono Kaguya had asked him to change into. He'd refused, first politely, then vehemently, then angrily. It didn't seem to matter to Kaguya, she just looked at him with big bright eyes and asked again. It had taken him threatening to tear it apart to get her to leave it alone, chirping that she'd be back later with more flattering clothes.

At least he wasn't tied up. There were four guards flanking the door and at least seven at either end of the corridor, but Suzaku was pretty sure he could get though them if he could get out of this room. The only limitation was doing all that without being noticed.

The door opened and Gino walked in. Suzaku had never been so glad to see him in his life. "Gino! How did you…"

"Suzaku!" Gino looked equally happy, throwing his arm over Suzaku's shoulder. "You are _such_ a pain! Honestly…"

Suzaku squirmed out of Gino's hold. "I know. Sorry, I'll make it up to you later. For now, we have to get out of here."

"Ooh… that's not gonna happen so much." Gino pursed his lips in disagreement.

Suzaku stared. "What?"

"Orders are for you to stay here," Gino explained pleasantly. "If you need something, just ask. Hey, is this one of those kee-mono things?"

"Don't touch that," Suzaku snapped. "…he got to you, didn't he?"

"My orders are from Prince Schneizel," Gino said, and Suzaku felt a flare of hope that perhaps he was still untainted. "…and Zero, of course." And that hope died as Suzaku noticed the light red rims around Gino's irises.

"Then you're my enemy." Suzaku sighed heavily.

Gino smiled and clasped Suzaku's shoulder. "Don't have to be. I have a message for you, from Zero." He cleared his throat and lowered his voice to a reasonable approximation of Lelouch's deeper tones. "'It's over, Suzaku. You've lost. Even if you escape, there's nowhere for you to run to. Japan will be liberated within the week and Britannia will fall within the month.'" Gino grinned brilliantly as he pronounced this. "So you can stop being all fighty and growly all the time. Loosen up!"

Suzaku looked into Gino's bright, cheerful face, and felt nearly nauseous with guilt. If he hadn't left, Lelouch would never have been able to use his _geass_. He should have fought, or something…

…but was it even his place to do so? A smarmy internal voice asked rhetorically. After all, he'd been given away by a prince; who was he to countermand such an order?

Suzaku ignored that voice. Schneizel couldn't be held at fault – he didn't know what Zero was. Well, Suzaku clarified, he probably did now that he was probably a victim of Lelouch's _geass_. What had he ordered the prince to do? Was it as vague as his order to Suzaku (_live_), or as specific as his order to Euphemia? Was it, perhaps, even dormant, waiting for a trigger to set it off…

…was Schneizel a sleeper assassin now? Was the Emperor in danger? And why didn't Suzaku care, at all?

Why was his guilt almost completely focused on the bright boy in front of him, following the order of a terrorist and fallen prince? Why did it take Gino, cheerfully doing the opposite of what he normally would, to make Suzaku realize that, not only was this situation nearly hopeless, it was all his fault?

"I'm sorry, Gino."

"It's okay!" Gino assured him. "It'll take some getting used to, but it'll be okay. You'll see. It's already getting better; Anya's escorting Prince Odysseus back to Britannia instead of having him marry that little girl. That was creepy, if you don't mind me saying… Oh, and that redhead's still here somewhere! Zero promised to introduce me to her." He beamed at Suzaku. "How's my hair?"

"Blond," Suzaku said, smiling wryly. Even _geassed_, Gino would always be Gino. "Hey Gino, can you give Zero a message from me?"

Gino looked up from his hair. "Sure. It might take some time, he's a busy guy, but I'll see it gets to him."

"Thanks." Suzaku smiled. "Tell him that it doesn't matter what he does, what good comes of his actions, it doesn't change the past and I'll always remember."

Gino nodded, looking briefly sad. "So you're not gonna loosen up, huh?"

"I'm sorry." Suzaku resorted to apologies, for lack of anything else to say. Gino was a pilot, not a hand-to-hand fighter, and Suzaku had him knocked out in twenty seconds and near silence.

Gino even had a key card. Suzaku briefly reflected that Lelouch was slipping as he unlocked the door and knocked out two of the guards before even leaving the room, finishing off the other two within seconds and dragging them back into the room to change into one of their clothes.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"Kururugi has escaped from his room."

"Took him long enough." Zero sighed. "Let him get to the hanger and point B before apprehending him. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory is one of his specialities, and I'd hate to see him break pattern."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Suzaku was armed and dressed in a proper military outfit rather than the pompous Knight of Seven costume, but he still felt uncomfortable in the loose black clothing, like it was leeching something from him to even be wearing the uniform of his enemy.

Still, it had managed to get him this far without needing to resort to killing anyone. He'd gotten lost a few times, but two helpful soldiers pointed out the way to the hanger cheerfully when he asked. Suzaku snorted; were there so many new Black Knights that they didn't recognize each other? Just another one of Lelouch's screw-ups, as far as Suzaku was concerned.

Gino's key activated the lift without the need for a code. Suzaku pocketed the card in one of the outfit's many pockets and put the helmet on. He was too close to take any chances now, and having to fight in a crowded, populated area was too big a chance to take.

He stepped off and walked casually past numerous excited Japanese. Apparently something was about to happen. Suzaku figured he could escape under the confusion of the preparation, or during the event itself.

He looked longingly at the Knightmares, wishing he had a key and code number. But those weren't just left lying around…

"Hey, you a pilot?"

Suzaku could recognize a tech when he saw one. The white coat gave it away, although the ample cleavage revealed under it made it look like a stripper's costume. "I… yeah. You need something?" He asked.

The tech tossed him a key. "We need the Burais moved together. The code for the one on the left is 3C6B3F7D." She waved a second key in the air. "Once you're done, come back for this one."

Suzaku blinked one at her. "You… wha… yes, ma'am." He clutched the key and fought back a grin. Luck had never been on his side to this degree since the first time he'd been handed a Knightmare key.

The tech grinned and winked at him before sauntering off. "Zero's orders, of course."

…of course. Not that it mattered. It might not be the Lancelot, but any Knightmare was better than none.

Getting into the Burai was as awkward as wearing the Black Knight's uniform. Everything felt and fit wrong. There was even an ejection seat, for heaven's sake!

The key fit perfectly and the code activated the Knightmare, rousing it from its dormant state. Another thing out of place; the Japanese instructions. Not that Suzaku had a problem understanding them, just that it seemed wrong…

…his instincts were screaming at him now. They'd been agitated since he strolled into the hanger, but they couldn't be ignored any longer. He was in enemy territory, in a small, enclosed space, surrounded by people who wanted him captured or dead, and his instincts were screaming that this whole situation was _wrong_.

Too late now. He powered up the Burai and decided to at least act at first like he was going to follow instructions. He moved towards the other Knightmares, double checking to make sure he wasn't in the way of anyone.

There was no one there. No movement in the entire hanger.

_Wrong._

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"Q1, at your leisure."

"This is sick."

Lelouch laughed, and Kallen shuddered at the cruel edge to it. "Can you think of another scenario that would convince Kaguya that Suzaku needs to be locked away behind bars?"

Honestly, Kallen could. She could think of a few, which meant that Lelouch could probably think up dozens. And that just proved how completely unnecessary this was.

Nevertheless, orders were orders.

"Guren Kashoushiki launching."

The lumbering Burai was almost pitiful-looking. Kallen made a face at it before activating her speakers. "Kururugi, we know you're in there. Surrender."

The pause that followed her announcement could have been for several reasons. Perhaps Suzaku had been surprised and was gathering his wits. Perhaps he was plotting, the way Lelouch tended to. Perhaps he was simply panicking that they'd figured him out so quickly.

In reality, he was trying to find the speakers. He'd really only been trained on the Lancelot. Foreign Knightmares were a learning experience.

"Kallen, I don't want to fight. But I won't passively remain Zero's prisoner."

Kallen bit back a curse. She dearly wanted to snap back that he was playing into Lelouch's hands, that there wasn't a move he'd made that Lelouch hadn't anticipated and accounted for. But orders were orders. "Power down that Burai and get out." She hesitated, then went off-script. "Suzaku, you're not going to succeed. Not in that machine."

"I've heard that before," Suzaku said grimly. "And I've beaten those odds."

Kallen felt like an idiot for showing even a moment of compassion to such a moron. The Burai squared off and Kallen rolled her eyes. Suzaku was a decent opponent in the Lancelot, but he'd be nothing in that mass-produced Knightmare. Not that it was going to come to that anyway…

Before he could move, the Burai straightened up and held its hands passively at its sides. Kallen moved the Guren closer. "Zero, do you have full control?"

"Unless he can hack my passwords," Lelouch said easily. The Burai's left arm suddenly shot up and Lelouch laughed. "Oops! I bet that one hurt his pride."

"…you are having far too much fun." The words were out before Kallen could stop them.

"You know, that's what C.C. just said," Lelouch mentioned. "You two should maybe stop hanging around each other so much."

Kallen shuddered. "That's one order I won't mind following. Can I approach?"

"You may. Watch the right arm; that password is something Suzaku might be able to work out as well if he's willing to admit his faults." Lelouch sounded almost viciously amused.

Kallen swallowed any further comments on Lelouch's enjoyment of this sadistic game. Her orders were simple; to isolate and guard the Burai and prevent Suzaku from escaping. The Black Knights didn't have parts and Knightmares lying around to the extent that Lelouch would have risked even a Burai being damaged for no good reason, but he'd wanted Suzaku to get as close to freedom as he could before pulling him back. Like a cat playing with a mouse, but Kallen had seen Suzaku at his coldest… he wasn't a mouse and Lelouch's taunts could easily awaken Suzaku's own cruelty.

From what Kallen had seen, it was a toss up which could be scarier. Overall, they seemed to bring the worst out in each other.

The Burai's right arm groped around for a non-existent sword for a good ten seconds before Lelouch regained control of that limb. Kallen would bet that he was laughing. Against her better judgement, she tried again.

"Suzaku, it would be easier on everyone if you just came out."

"I don't have any incentive to make it easy on you." Suzaku tried desperately to regain _some_ kind of control.

"Also, he's trapped in there until I release him," Lelouch mentioned over Kallen's private line. "Not that he's tried to escape."

"How are you going to force him out?" Kallen asked curiously.

"Feminine wiles." Lelouch's voice sounded intolerably smug.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"You certainly like to use people," C.C. said placidly. "But I'm not the type to be used."

"It's payback," Lelouch said, trailing his fingers over Zero's mask in his lap. "For making me dress like an exotic dancer and tolerate that Chinese pig's lusty stare."

C.C. laughed. "'Lusty stare'… I like that." She shot Lelouch a look. "You had your vengeance for that, I thought, making him and his cronies squeal like that. Literally."

"I'm not looking for vengeance," Lelouch reminded her. "Just payback. And you owe me."

"Oh? Are we tallying that up now?" Lelouch's gaze was firm and bland and unwavering. She sighed. "Why do you really want me to do this?"

Lelouch finally looked away, considering and calculating. Eventually he turned back to C.C. "I want him to be afraid of you. Or at least wary."

"Why?"

"Because, not so long ago, you were in Britannia's clutches, in the tender care of my now deceased elder brother, Clovis. I want Suzaku to hesitate when he sees you, preferably out of animal fear, so that that doesn't happen again."

C.C. leaned forward. "Why do you care?"

"Because." Lelouch stood and walked over to her. "If Rolo's information is correct, my father was using me as a trap, looking for you. And you're _my_ witch. He can't have you." He cupped C.C.'s chin, lightly drawing his thumb over her cheek.

C.C.'s eyes fell closed under Lelouch's caress. "Just what I always wanted to be… a rope in a daddy-son tug-of-war."

Lelouch chuckled. "If you never fall into his grasp, it's not much of a war." He removed his hand. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Will you please go remind Suzaku why I'm not the only person he should be having nightmares about?"

C.C. stood. "And now you're thinking about that boy's dreams. Honestly…"

"Thank you, C.C." Lelouch turned back to his screen, smirking as he heard her slip out of the room, towards the hanger.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Kallen was getting antsy. It had been a good ten minutes and the Burai hadn't moved. Suzaku hadn't said or done anything, but Kallen wasn't sure that he could even if he wanted to. Still, breaking the silence just to ask Suzaku to talk to her was too much like defeat.

So she waited. And got antsy.

The sight of C.C. crossing the hanger, strolling nonchalantly between the two Knightmares, made Kallen snap back to attention. What was she doing here?

The Burai's speakers crackled to life. "_You_." Kallen wouldn't have expected that degree of vitriol from Suzaku directed towards anyone but Lelouch. "Did he send you?"

Kallen watched C.C.'s graceful, lazy shrug as she pressed her hand against the Burai. Her eyes closed and her bangs flared up from an impossible gust of wind.

"It's done."

The Burai stepped back, moving without any grace to its original position. It was only then that Kallen noticed Zero, standing with that blond knight (who was looking a little worse for wear). Zero had the Burai's remote control in his hand and the knight was saying something. She zoomed in, creeped out by the cheerful look on his face as he chatted with the man who'd been his sworn enemy a few hours ago.

"Q1, you may return the Guren and resume your regular duties." Zero's voice came in over the radio. Kallen could hear the hiss of the Burai's pilot seat opening in the background. She focused on that, watching the knight lift an unconscious Suzaku from the seat and carry him off under Zero's orders.

"Q1?"

"Roger that." Kallen snapped, withdrawing. This round was clearly over.


	2. Ratification

Suzaku woke alone and cold, in a dark grey cell that had clearly never been used before. There was a small cot and a toilet that probably worked and a sink, and absolutely no privacy.

It was even less civilized than the military prison he'd been sent to after being accused of assassinating Prince Clovis.

At least he was free to move around, still wearing the Black Knight uniform, although in bare feet. Clearly they weren't taking any risks giving him anything that could be used as a weapon. He walked the small cell, looking for faults. None that he could see, but it was early yet and the lighting was poor and…

…and who was he kidding. He had neither the training nor the native intelligence to figure a way out. All he had was brute strength and Zero, Lelouch or not, would be prepared for that.

He still wasn't sure how he'd gotten here. One moment he'd been in the Burai, the next he was in this cell. And the more he tried to remember, the more his mind screamed at him to stop. It must have been Lelouch's witch, C.C., she must have done something…

"Are you quite done pacing?"

Suzaku froze at the coldly amused voice. "Zero."

"Huh." Zero approached the cell, staying two paces back. "I would have expected you to ignore me. Keep a stiff upper lip and all that. Perhaps C.C. shook you up more than I'd expected."

"Perhaps you don't know me as well as you think you do," Suzaku shot back. Zero laughed.

"Perhaps. Certainly your daring escape was something completely unforeseen. And to nearly make off with one of our precious Knightmares… it's just fortunate that that happened to be the one Knightmare that I'd rigged for remote control." If Suzaku could have seen Zero's face, he was sure if would have been smirking. "What a happy coincidence."

Suzaku, for a lack of anything better to do, punched the wall. "I'll see you dead."

Zero laughed again. "Chances are reasonably good that you will, Britannia's deathless reaper. After all, I have only my wits and my army to protect me while you have…" He trailed off suggestively.

…this was being taped or filmed. Zero was playing, not just with Suzaku, but to an audience. That was why he'd hidden that Suzaku's escape was unsurprising. That was why he was avoiding mentioning _geass _or whatever C.C. had done.

_Don't think about it._

The point was… the point was, would mentioning Lelouch's name here and now, assuming people were watching, gain Suzaku anything? His brain raced as he glared at Zero. In all honesty, _he_ wanted to know if Zero was really Lelouch. There was still a chance that he wasn't, that C.C. had replaced him and Lelouch was still memoryless and innocent and at Ashford.

There was a chance that this Zero hadn't manipulated and then shot Euphemia in cold blood.

But the way he stood, the way he thought, the way he _was_… If he wasn't Lelouch, he was doing a very good impression.

"You look troubled, Knight of Seven," Zero said coolly. "Are you ill?"

Suzaku choked back a laugh. "Never been sick a day in my life. _You_ were the one always catching fevers."

That seemed to take Zero aback. He hesitated, then shrugged carelessly. "Nevertheless, you are Lady Kaguya's precious gift, and I won't have you damaged. If there's anything you want, Sir Kururugi…"

"A Knightmare, my freedom, your painful death," Suzaku listed. "Other than that, I'm fine."

Zero laughed again, and this time it sounded genuinely amused. "You are hardly fine, my good knight. Nor would you be with those things you listed. Still, I'm sure you're hungry. You've slept the day away and then some, and I'm sure you wouldn't have sampled the fare at the banquet." Suzaku didn't answer, only now noticing how hungry he was. "A pity. The shrimp were exquisite, I'm told." Zero turned to leave.

"Wait!" Suzaku couldn't stop himself from calling out. This was as close as he'd gotten to Zero since his return. He _had _to know… "Just tell me. Yes or no. They… they don't have to know what I'm asking and I'm hardly in a position to do anything about it. Are you or not?"

Zero turned and seemed to be considering the question. "We will discuss that at another time, Sir Kururugi, I assure you."

Not an answer. It was an equal chance that that was something Lelouch and not-Lelouch might have said. Kallen's reactions had made Suzaku think Zero was Lelouch, and the way he'd confronted Schneizel indicated that that was a possibility, and the way he'd toyed with Suzaku was… well, it was pointlessly cruel which was something Suzaku wanted to associate with Lelouch, but couldn't honestly. Lelouch's cruelty always had a point.

He still didn't know. And he hated not knowing.

"What about Nunnally?"

"The Viceroy?" Zero asked, completely blasé and unsurprised. "She's already been taken care of."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"Leave Japan?"

Odysseus nodded, smiling brightly. "It's for the best, Nunnally. We'll move you somewhere where you'll be safe and protected and happy, while Zero and Schneizel work together to make Japan a free country. Won't that be nice?"

"Zero?" Nunnally said softly. "He's forged an alliance with Schneizel?"

"Something like that," Odysseus said. "In any case, they both want you safe and out of the way. We have a lovely house by the sea waiting for you and a surprise!"

Nunnally looked up. "A surprise?"

"Hello, Nunnally-sama." The voice was familiar and welcome. Nunnally's face blossomed into a brilliant smile.

"Sayoko-san!"

"It's good to see you again," Sayoko said warmly. "I've brought someone with me. A friend of Lelouch-sama."

Nunnally turned towards the sound of shifting clothing. "You know my brother?"

"Very well," A soft, gentle young voice said, reaching out to hold Nunnally's hand as he'd been instructed to. "He's safe."

"I'm so glad," Nunnally said, bringing that hand to her face as tears spilled from her eyes. "Thank you for being with him."

"It was my pleasure," The boy said, with only a touch of irony. "He sent me to help protect you, Princess Nunnally. And he…" The boy hesitated. "He sends his love."

"Thank you," Nunnally said again. "Who are you?"

"Rolo." The boy smiled down at her. "Rolo Halliburton."

Sayoko smiled at him encouragingly. "He's your new knight, Nunnally-sama."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

There weren't enough hours, Lelouch realized. He'd short-changed himself on sleep before, living two lives, but now…

"Zero, the Indian delegation wants to talk to you. They want to know if your new alliance with China means that you won't help them achieve independence."

"Nothing could be further from the truth." For one thing, if he backed out of that promise, Rakshata was bound to leave or booby-trap the Knightmares or something horrible. "I'll meet with them tomorrow morning, first thing."

"You're meeting with the Eunuchs then."

Lelouch sighed. "I'll meet with the Indians first, then the Eunuchs. It may contribute to our conversation." The young adjunct bowed and took his leave.

"Busy?" A tired voice drawled from behind him. Lelouch tried not to feel concerned; she _was_ immortal after all.

"Shouldn't you still be resting?" Damn. That had sounded concerned.

C.C. shrugged. Lelouch couldn't see it, but he could hear the cloth rustling, and he was a good enough judge of her reactions to know that she almost always shrugged when he was right and she couldn't be bothered to care. "I got bored."

Boredom. Lelouch had almost forgotten what that felt like. Funny; at one point, that had been practically his whole life.

"I'm sure you'll find entertainment somewhere." Lelouch managed to sound apathetic this time. "You always do."

"Since I found you… I suppose that's true," C.C. noted. "It hasn't always been pretty, but it has been entertaining."

Lelouch sighed. "Is this about how I dealt with Suzaku?"

"Should it be?" C.C. asked, sounding genuinely curious. "It's certainly not the cruellest thing you've done to him, nor the most dehumanizing." She shrugged again. "Nor the kindest, I suppose, although moving him from that room to a cell has to be good for his mental health."

It didn't take long for Lelouch to follow the logic of that thought. "He's not a pet, no matter how much I mock him and Kaguya spoils him. He's a dangerous prisoner, and he should be treated as such."

"Precisely," C.C. said. "Proper respect where it is due."

Lelouch laughed. "Respect? After what he…" He cut himself off. "Fear? Perhaps a touch. Resentment? A great deal. Satisfaction that he's in my grasp? Immense."

"Love?"

Lelouch raised an eyebrow, safely behind Zero's mask. "Have you been paying _any_ attention over the last few days, C.C.?"

"You haven't killed him."

"I can't. No one can. Even _he_ can't," Lelouch said, before pausing thoughtfully. "Perhaps you could."

"…perhaps."

"You don't know, do you?" Lelouch asked rhetorically. "After all, his _geass_ isn't merely not to be killed, it's to live. _Geass_ may not affect you, but it still affects him." He shrugged. "Not that it matters. He's not to be killed. He's to be kept. If nothing else, it will please my goddess of victory."

C.C. laughed. "Yes, and you're all about pleasing Kaguya. Have you set a date yet? For your wedding, I mean."

Lelouch shuddered. "I sincerely hope Suzaku will be enough to distract her from that."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"…I haven't decided whether you should be a groomsman or the MC. You were always good at public speaking…"

Suzaku stared at his cousin through the glass of his cell, stuck somewhere between despair and hilarity. "Kaguya. If you make me Zero's groomsman, I'm reasonably likely to kill him and ruin your wedding."

"MC it is!" Kaguya concluded cheerfully. "That means you'll have to provide your own date. Who was that cute little pink-haired girl with you and Gino-tan?"

…_Gino-tan_? Suzaku rolled his eyes. "That was Anya, the Knight of Six, and _not_ my date."

Kaguya pouted. "Well, Gino wants to take Kallen, who _still _hasn't accepted her place as Zero's third court lady, so he can't take her. Are you really going to force such a pretty girl to go stag? Suzaku, you meanie."

The conversation had moved past amusing into absurd. "What do you want, Kaguya?"

"I want you to get over your petty grudge and move on!" Kaguya chirped. "Now, black and purple are _far_ too dreary to be the official wedding colours, so…"

Suzaku ignored her prattling. 'Petty grudge'? Who did she think she was, judging him without knowing the full situation? Zero, her beloved _fiancé_ Zero (and when and how had _that_ happened?) hadn't even told her about his _geass_. Was that… could _Kaguya_ be…

Kaguya's monologue was cut off as Suzaku slammed into the glass in front of her, staring at her intently. "Kaguya. Look me in the eye and tell me you believe in Zero."

Kaguya smiled and did as she was told. "I believe in Zero, Suzaku."

No redness rimming her eyes. Suzaku wracked his brain. "Tell me you'll follow him, tell me… tell me you _love_ him." Zero wouldn't have… Lelouch wouldn't have… the thought was disgusting.

"I'd follow him anywhere. I love him," Kaguya said simply. "He's Japan's greatest hope and hero and I will do whatever he wishes to help him achieve his goals."

No red ring. She meant it. Somehow, that was even more horrible than the thought of her being _geassed_ into falling in love. Suzaku slumped against the glass, all the fight leeched out of him. "He's using you."

"So?" Kaguya shrugged. "It's not like we're not using him in return."

"But he's…" Suzaku looked into Kaguya's calm eyes and realized there was nothing he could say that would dissuade her. "Fine. If you won't listen to me, then I'm not listening to you."

Kaguya rolled her eyes and Suzaku walked off, curling up on his cot and facing away from her. "I'm not trying to convince you to give up your convictions, Suzaku," she said. Suzaku stared at the wall. "I just want you to be happy."

"That's impossible," Suzaku said. "Le-Zero took my happiness away a long time ago."

"If it was that easy to take," A deep voice suggested. "Perhaps it was never truly yours."

Suzaku whirled around, meeting the apathetic mask of Zero himself. He wasn't even facing Suzaku. "Lady Kaguya, we are required at the announcement of the establishment of the United Federation of Nations."

"Oh, right." Kaguya smiled. "That happened faster than expected. Are you sure there won't be any trouble with Japan?"

"The Viceroy has formally abdicated. Her position is now defunct, replaced with the role of representative of the United States of Japan at the U.F.N."

"Me, right?" Kaguya chirped. "Well, we'd better hurry then."

"Wait!" Suzaku called out. "What do… you mean Zero isn't going to…"

Zero finally turned to him. "Japan belongs to the Japanese, Kururugi. As much as I consider it my home, I am not Japanese."

"Don't worry," Kaguya reassured him cheerfully, hanging off his arm. "We still love you."

Suzaku felt his stomach churn as they left.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

C.C. came to visit next. It was soon enough after Kaguya had left that Suzaku was pretty sure they were still at the ratification ceremonies. Japan's freedom and a united front against tyranny, and all Suzaku could feel was a burning resentment that Zero had won.

…he truly was a horrible person.

"You're not that bad," C.C. disagreed as if reading his mind. "You're just young."

Suzaku surprised himself with an instinctive hiss as he backed up. He could feel his hackles raising and every instinct within him screaming 'witch!'.

…she was eating a slice of pepperoni pizza. That kind of took away from her aura of potential threat.

She was also smirking. "Calm down, boy. I'm not going to hurt you. Without a good reason, at least." She seemed amused at his hatred and terror. "I just thought you'd like the chance to chat with me one-on-one, since you've known me as long as Lelouch."

"So. Zero _is_ Lelouch." Suzaku was at least gratified that they'd cleared _that_ up.

"Didn't say that," C.C. said casually. "He was, but he lost those memories thanks to you and Charles. I had to take some rather drastic measures to ensure my personal plans would come to fruition."

"…so he's _not_ Lelouch?"

C.C. laughed. "Didn't say that either. He seems amused at how important that question is to you, however. Does it really matter? Zero is Zero, after all, and the enemy of the Empire you serve." She shrugged. "At least until Thursday."

Suzaku frowned. "What, is Prince Schneizel going to issue a pardon for him?"

"Something like that," C.C. said thoughtfully. "I am curious to see what happens if a _geass_ is used to remove the memory of a different _geass_. Zero thinks that that's the most likely scenario, but the potential gains were worth the less than stellar odds." She sighed. "Ah well. Odysseus was always expendable."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because it's amusing to watch you jump to conclusions that are so hilariously removed from reality," C.C. said. "You tend to fixate, it seems."

Suzaku glared and turned away, determined to at least ignore her if he couldn't get any sense from her.

"You've given up, haven't you?" C.C. asked suddenly.

"…what?" Dammit. Ignoring her hadn't worked.

"You're not even thinking of trying to escape. One failed attempt, coupled with mockery, and suddenly you're too scared to try. Does his opinion matter so much to you that you'd rather stay in your cage than look a fool trying to escape?"

Suzaku knew where his duty lay. "I will escape when the opportunity presents itself."

C.C. snorted. "I bet if we flooded your cell with poison gas, your _geass_ would get you out somehow. You're a coward."

"Shut up!" Suzaku snarled. "I'm not falling for your false words and tricks and… stop laughing!"

"You're adorable. I'm glad he's decided to keep you. Kaguya's glad as well. Kallen… well, with three court ladies, one is almost always bound to be displeased."

If there was anything that argued against Lelouch being Zero, it was that odd situation. "How does that work, exactly… with the mask?" Suzaku asked, morbidly curious.

C.C. laughed. "Well, I know who he is, so he's unmasked around me. Kallen knows who he is, but refuses to do anything more than blush around him. And Kaguya is willing to wait for her wedding night. Sweet girl."

Suzaku regretted asking. "Do you know what he plans to do with me?"

"With you?" C.C. shrugged. "No idea. I think just capturing you was his goal. He doesn't want to use you like he's using the Knight of Three, nor does he want to harm you as that would upset his goddess of victory." She stood. "Honestly, I don't think he cares much for what happens to you now."

For some reason that hurt. Suzaku's pride more than anything else. "So I'm just to be kept here?"

"Probably. Don't worry; Britannia will fall and Zero will rise to power, and eventually you'll be released because you just don't matter any more." C.C. sauntered out of the room. "It was nice talking with you."

Suzaku sat on the bed, wrapped in more despair than when he was first captured.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

The ratification ceremonies were going smoothly. The original plans had called for the request for the deployment of the Black Knights to free Japan, but that was no longer necessary. Instead, the first act of the United Federation of Nations was to put forth a motion to enact certain sanctions against the Britannian Empire for their policy of invasion and colonization and their blatant disregard for human rights of the peoples they conquered. It was completely a symbolic gesture – between its remaining Areas, Britannia was completely self-sufficient – but it was an important first step in establishing a strong, principled centralized government.

It was also an opportunity for Odysseus, only moments after the sanctions were proposed, to come forth and accept the judgement of the United Federation of Nations, expressing regret for the actions of previous Emperors and pledging to put things right.

The Emperor of Britannia made no comment.

Lelouch was rather disappointed. He'd been hoping for something from his father; an arrogant display, a complete dismissal, anything; and the silence he received was unnerving. Still, it may have simply taken the Emperor by surprise.

Either way, he couldn't miss the fact that his eldest son was under Lelouch's _geass_ now. It would be interesting to see what he'd do with that knowledge. Depending on his reaction, Lelouch would move from there, either using Schneizel or holding him in reserve.

Kallen might be his Q1, but Schneizel truly was his queen piece now.

The media blitz after the ceremonies went just as smoothly. Kaguya and Tianzi flanked him and answered most of the questions. Occasionally Tianzi faltered, young girl that she was, and Zero and Kaguya picked up from where she left off. Very few questions were directed at Zero himself, since everyone pretty much knew his positions.

He was now commander-in-chief of the second largest army in the world. Given the way some of the EU countries were eying the U.F.N., it could even become the largest army in a few weeks. Lelouch had always planned to gain political, not militaristic, power but he was finding that there was very little difference between the two. Technically, yes, he needed the U.F.N.'s permission to move. But he was not obligated to move if they ordered. It was a balance of power that left him more in control than they thought. And with Kaguya and Tianzi there to push his agenda, Lelouch really could do and go wherever he wanted.

And he wanted to destroy Britannia.

…but not yet. If he could take control away from his father – install Odysseus or Schneizel as Emperor and rule from the shadows – that would be enough. Under his rule, Britannia would become a bastion of freedom and moderation; the kinder, gentler world Nunnally wanted. And he could give it to her through them, allow her to return once it was safe (and their father was dead) and live peacefully surrounded by people who cared for her.

And they would care for her – Lelouch was more than willing to ensure that all his siblings would put Nunnally first. It was no less than she deserved, after being abandoned by them.

And then… once Lelouch found out who killed his mother (he had his suspicions and Schneizel was getting to the bottom of those right now…) and obtained his revenge… once that happened, he could return to Nunnally, be with her and take care of her and just live with her as their siblings worked to make their world perfect. Every day would be perfect – they'd be together and happy and the whole world would be happy with them.

It was obtainable. It wasn't even that hard – Lelouch could see the future laying out before him; perfect and peaceful and so different from the war-torn past or painful struggling present. It was a pity that he'd lost Euphemia on the way, and even more of a pity that he was losing Suzaku, but for Nunnally… these losses were acceptable to Lelouch.

And Suzaku wasn't even a sure thing yet. Present him with a free and prosperous Japan, a Britannia where all people are treated equally, a world where wars are pointless and arbitration and discussion are how conflicts are resolved… even Suzaku couldn't hold a grudge living in such a world. He'd see that Lelouch was right all along and willingly return to his side. No, he'd _beg_ to return to his side. Lelouch grinned viciously behind his mask. Head bowed, eyes downcast, Suzaku would apologize and beg forgiveness for his arrogance and foolishness and plead for a place serving Lelouch.

And maybe Lelouch would even agree – after all, Nunnally could use more than one knight and she'd always been fond of Suzaku. Rolo was useful in his way, but hardly impressive. And even if she didn't want him, Lelouch was sure he could find a place for his old friend, once Suzaku realized his proper place in the scheme of things. He wouldn't even hold much of a grudge for the way Suzaku had held him down in front of his father and let him tear away his most precious memories.

Lelouch realized he was clenching his fists. Well. Perhaps he held _something_ of a grudge.

Still, the scenario was perfect. Neither Lelouch nor Zero could ferret out information on Marianne's death, but Schneizel could. Odysseus, half bait, half figurehead, was Schneizel's defense and if he fell Lelouch's main puppet would only be raised in stature. Nunnally was safe and secure and Suzaku was safe and out of the way, and half the world was under his control. Nothing could possibly stop him now.

It was time to implement his next stage of action. Now that the Chinese Federation was within his control, he needed to find the headquarters of the _Geass _Order and eradicate them. They were somewhere in China which, granted, was a vast country, but Lelouch had a plan and a tool at his disposal that would be most useful in this task.


	3. Enemies and Allies

"Rolo, where are we?"

Rolo smiled. It had only been a few days since he'd met her, but he could easily see how Lelouch could be so devoted to Nunnally. At first, Rolo had been jealous of her – feeling like all of Lelouch's affection that had been directed towards him had been meant for Nunnally. He'd harbored those thoughts (fears, really) for months before Lelouch's memories returned. It had almost been a conviction by the time Lelouch told him to protect Nunnally, as if she was the most important person in the world.

But now he could see why and he couldn't fault him for it. She was delicate and vulnerable, but gracious and appreciative. He'd thought she'd be whiny or resentful, but she wasn't. Even when mentioned how close he and Lelouch had gotten, saying that Lelouch thought of him as a brother, she hadn't once shown any sign of anything but happiness. She'd even asked if she could think of him as a brother as well.

Lelouch had said that they'd be a family, the three of them. Rolo hadn't believed him at the time, hadn't thought it possible. Now, after having met Nunnally, Rolo knew that it could be, and couldn't deny the irresistible urge to keep her safe and happy at any cost.

"We're on a cliff top, overlooking the ocean," Rolo explained. "I thought you'd like to experience the sun setting from here."

Nunnally couldn't see, but Rolo hadn't had any preconceived notions of what that meant and had treated her more or less like a sighted person who had their eyes closed. The feel of the ocean wind on her face, the smells and sounds of the sea, the warmth of the sun slowly being replaced by the coolness of the night air… there was no reason why Nunnally couldn't enjoy that.

Indeed, she turned to him and smiled. "It must be beautiful."

"It is," Rolo assured her. "It's like there's two suns setting, the reflection is so perfect." He took Nunnally's hand and watched her as she leaned forward to catch more of the ocean breeze.

It was strange. Even more than Lelouch, Rolo wanted to protect her. Lelouch could handle himself. Sure, there were moments when he needed Rolo, but Rolo knew that if he hadn't been there Lelouch would have continued on or found someone else. Nunnally seemed to need him more. Even with Sayoko present, they had a connection through Lelouch that was strong enough to form an instant bond.

Rolo would die for her. The thought should have frightened him. It didn't.

"Rolo," Nunnally said softly. "Lelouch… does he know where I am?"

As much as Rolo wanted to tell her, he was under strict orders not to. "I don't know. I was ordered by Prince Odysseus to accompany you here."

"Oh." Nunnally looked disappointed. "So… did I take you away from something important?"

"What?" It took Rolo a moment to process that. "No! No, Nunnally, there's nothing more important…" He took a deep breath. "We're family, right? You said so, didn't you… you, me, Lelouch… we're family."

When Nunnally smiled at him this time, it was sweet and genuine. "Of course, but it must be a bother to you–"

"Never," Rolo interrupted. "You're never a bother. You're…" Rolo had no words for this. He'd lived his entire life until Lelouch without this and couldn't name it. All he had to go on were Lelouch's words in the past. "You're important. You're special. You're my one and only sister and I…"

Nunnally's hand on top of his stopped him. "You're special too, Rolo."

It was as if a huge weight had been lifted from Rolo's chest. He smiled, and only then noticed the tears running down his cheeks.

"Rolo-sama, Nunnally-sama." Sayoko approached them, taking care to make enough noise not to startle them. "You should return to the cabin. There's a message for you, Rolo-sama."

Only Lelouch (and Odysseus, but he'd been ordered to forget as soon as he dropped them off) knew where they were and how to contact them. Rolo felt his heart flutter in anticipation. Maybe he could ask Lelouch to let him tell Nunnally everything. That would be wonderful… "Let's go, Nunnally."

Nunnally smiled and nodded.

when they got back to the cabin, Rolo played the message out of Nunnally's range of hearing.

_Rolo. _Lelouch's voice was warm and affectionate._ How are you doing? And Nunnally?_ A soft chuckle._ Sorry, obviously you can't answer. I hope you're well. In any case, I need your assistance in a small matter. We've acquired the Chinese Federation as an ally and with it, access to the presumptive _Geass_ Order. I don't need to tell you how important it is that we find them and destroy them before they can take away our peaceful lives together. The only problem is that C.C. has no idea where, precisely, the Order lies, and China is a big country. I won't ask you to fight – my little brother should be kept away from such things. But I need to know where they are, Rolo. Even if you don't know the exact location, any hint of their base would be helpful. Please call back soon; the sooner we resolve this issue, the sooner we can be reunited. _

Rolo stared at the answering machine as if it had been the cause of this disastrous message. He began to shake as he dialed the number Lelouch had left with him for emergencies. This was _bad_.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"You might be interested in this, V.V."

V.V. looked up from watching Cornelia pace her cell. She'd killed him without a moment's hesitation, just to defend against a possible _geass_. She was here for vengeance for her sister. She was magnificent; far more so than _that woman's_ son. It was a pity that Charles didn't appreciate her properly. V.V. was fascinated and enthralled – he'd found a proper heir from his brother's brood.

Maybe she'd eventually calm down enough to accept a _geass_ of her own. She seemed like someone who appreciated power.

But not now. Not while she was still feral and trapped and full of resentment and hatred. Now was time for other things. "What is it?"

"We intercepted a transmission that used the term '_geass_'. It seems to be from Lelouch to Rolo. And it seems that Rolo is with Nunnally. We've found her."

V.V. allowed a slow smile to creep across his face. "And if Lelouch knows about her, then that means that he has his memories back and is once again Zero."

"And Rolo has joined him."

"Psht." V.V. waved that small concern off. "He was always disposable. The important thing is to reign in my brother's son and recover C.C. And the quickest way to do that is to acquire Nunnally."

"How do you want to go about this?"

"Prep the cyborg. We'll see how little Rolo manages without his _geass_ to protect him."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"Rolo, calm down. What do you mean they know where you are?"

"They listen," Rolo said, his voice quivering. "They're always listening for keywords. They'll know you called, they'll know where you called to, they'll know everything you said…" He took a deep breath. "They know where we are – where _Nunnally_ is, they know that you have your memories back, they know _everything_, Lelouch!" Rolo felt close to crying in fear and frustration. _Why did you do that? Why were you so careless? _"We have to leave."

There was a long pause. "There's a Chinese schooner a few hours away from you." Lelouch's voice came back on, clipped and cold and efficient and Rolo nearly wilted with relief. "It will dock where Odysseus dropped you off and take you and Nunnally and Sayoko to a safe place. Watch over her, Rolo."

"Of course," Rolo breathed, like an oath. "Will you… will we see you?"

"Right now, after everything, that's too risky," Lelouch said. "But soon, I hope. Once our enemies are gone and it's safe."

"Let me help," Rolo begged. "I know where they are, I know the defences, I can pilot a Knightmare and my _geass_–"

"Is not to be used unless Nunnally's life is in danger," Lelouch snapped. "Rolo, it _stops your heart_. I'm not putting you in that position."

Rolo bit his lip. "But…"

"Get Nunnally to the dock," Lelouch ordered. "Then guard her. _I_ will take care of those people who'd try to hurt us. That's my job, Rolo. As your big brother."

"And Nunnally's," Rolo said, managing a small smile. "I'll make sure she's safe, Lelouch."

"I know you will," Lelouch said warmly. "Now, get moving."

Sayoko, as expected, followed Rolo's directions efficiently and without question. Rolo expected that Nunnally would be difficult to soothe, that she'd have all sorts of questions and demand that they be answered, but she wasn't. The moment Rolo told her they had to leave, she nodded and gathered up a few small trinkets in a bag. "I'm ready."

…of course. She'd done this before, as a child. Twice, if you counted the exile from Pendragon. Rolo smiled at her. "I'll protect you, Nunnally, I swear."

Nunnally smiled back, reassuringly. "That's what Suzaku-san said when we left his shrine. And he did." She held out her hand and Rolo took it. "I trust you, Rolo."

"Out of my way. I have no desire to kill a woman if I don't need to."

Rolo and Nunnally both flinched at the strange voice coming from the front of the house.

"We at least share that. I, too, would like to avoid any unnecessary killing." Sayoko's calm voice followed the gruff demand, a warning to Rolo and Nunnally as much as a reply.

"Come on," Rolo said quietly, wheeling Nunnally around. "We'll leave out the back."

"But Sayoko-san…" Nunnally said before cutting herself off. "I'm sorry. I'll be quiet."

Rolo wanted to reassure her, but really it was for the best that she not say anything. Clearly, she was uncomfortable with the idea that Sayoko was dispensable if it kept her safe, but the truth was that she was. As was Rolo. Rolo had promised Lelouch he'd see to Nunnally's safety and he would.

The sound of metal on metal screeched through the night, making Nunnally wince. Rolo closed his ears to that and to the sounds of the man's smug victory and Sayoko's pained grunts. He needed to protect Nunnally, he couldn't…

"Rolo." Nunnally's soft voice stopped him. "Please."

…dammit. Rolo wheeled Nunnally behind a tree. "I'll be back." Whoever this was, he was only one man. Rolo could stop him.

He was dressed formally, not quite like a knight, but similarly. He seemed to be holding a sword but, at second glance, his hand was free and the blade was coming from his arm itself. A cyborg? No wonder Sayoko was having troubles. Still, he had flesh parts and, given an immobile target and enough time, they could certainly exploit those.

"Sayoko-san!" Rolo called, running up to them. "I'll stop him." He activated his _geass_, freezing the cyborg in time. "Okay, you can get him now."

Sayoko nodded and rushed the man, her kunai aiming for his vulnerable shoulder joint.

Then everything went wrong. Somehow the cyborg escaped Rolo's _geass_ and ducked under the blow, landing a direct hit on Sayoko. Rolo froze in fear before attempting to activate his _geass_ again…

Too late.

"Rolo Lamperouge," The man sneered, pinning Rolo to the ground. "So, he _did_ turn you."

"Why won't my _geass…_"

"Because I was chosen. Picked by the Order to be an assassin."

_Nunnally_.

"I won't… let you…"

"Please stop." Nunnally's voice rang out, scared and pleading, but somehow strong. "Please, don't hurt them."

In an almost insulting move, the cyborg released and ignored him. "Nunnally… vi Britannia?"

"Yes," Nunnally said tremulously. "I'll give myself up if you'll stop hurting them and let Sayoko get medical attention."

Rolo nearly closed his eyes in despair. _Lelouch… I'm sorry_. He could see the lights of the Chinese schooner docking. So close. If he hadn't returned to help Sayoko…

The cyborg approached Nunnally and Rolo drew his knife. He didn't expect an attack to be successful, but he had to at least try… didn't he?

Before he could aim, though, the man knelt before Nunnally. "Your Highness. I was sent to kill your guards and capture you." Nunnally's lip quivered. "But my loyalty lies not with those who sent me, but with Lady Marianne. Your mother." He bowed. "Please, order me per your whims. To make up for my failure to protect Lady Marianne, I will do anything."

Rolo's hand released the knife in shock as Nunnally reached out to the kneeling man. "I will hold you to that, My Lord," she said softly.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

_They were safe_. Lelouch felt his muscles relax from their tensed state. They were safe and Sayoko was injured, but nothing serious and… they had an ally?

The moment Lelouch hung up on Rolo, he looked up Jeremiah Gottwald. He was surprised to find that he recognized the man – the same man who'd led Area 11 after Clovis's death, the same man Zero had shamed with his orange ruse. The same man, as it turned out, who'd been tasked with guarding his mother on that day she'd been killed.

He'd failed, and a large part of Lelouch hated him for that. But he'd protected Nunnally which was going a long way to making up for it. And he knew exactly where the _Geass_ Order was, which also helped. And, finally, he was useful. And Lelouch could use that right now.

They'd rendezvous with the schooner in seven hours. Lelouch locked the door and crawled into bed. Minutes later, he felt the bed dip and a warm presence at his back. He was sleepy, but not enough to leave that without comment. "You really don't have to coordinate your sleep schedule to mine."

C.C. snorted. "Like anyone but an immortal could live on that little rest. Oh, wait…"

It wasn't like her to make light of that. Lelouch rolled over. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." C.C. blinked at him, her face blank. "Shouldn't you get to sleep? You have a long day ahead, planning the eradication of the Order."

Lelouch's eyes narrowed. "If you have a problem, just say something."

C.C. looked away. "They sent an assassin to pose as your brother and another one after Nunnally. How can I argue in their favour?"

"I don't know," Lelouch said. "Why would you want to?"

"Exactly," C.C. said, rolling to face away from him. "Goodnight."

Lelouch set his jaw before sighing and letting it go. She was right; he had a long day tomorrow. Well, later today, technically. He closed his eyes and slept.

When he woke up, C.C. was gone and the bed was cold where she'd lain.

He rose and dressed and checked the time. One hour to rendezvous.

Time to visit Suzaku.

Someone, out of kindness or cruelty, had set up a television where Suzaku could see it, and set the channel to a 24-hour news station. The main story was, of course, the new U.F.N. and Zero. Given the positive spin and overall sense of celebration, this must have been torture for Suzaku to watch, but at least it was something to occupy his hours.

And, honestly, as Lelouch watched Suzaku watch the news, he didn't seem terribly upset. A little resigned and possibly regretful, perhaps, but not angry. That was a positive sign.

"Kururugi."

Suzaku's head snapped up, and that anger and resentment returned. "Zero."

Lelouch smiled behind the mask. So very, very predictable. "How are you doing?"

"Like you care," Suzaku snarled. "What are you here for?"

It was kind of fascinating, watching Suzaku's animal tendencies come out to play while in captivity. "Princess Nunnally, who'd been moved to a secure location for her safety, has been attacked."

_That_ got Suzaku's attention. "What? How, by whom… did you do this, you bastard…" Suzaku launched himself at the glass partition, fighting against his captivity for the first time since Lelouch captured him. Lelouch stepped forward, placing one gloved hand on the other side of the glass, kind of warmed by the obvious concern Suzaku still had for Nunnally.

"The people you fought for and killed for and would have died for… they targeted her to get to me. And C.C."

Suzaku pressed closer. "Lelouch," he whispered, his lips barely moving. "I knew it was you…"

"Suzaku," Lelouch said. "What are you actually fighting for? Euphy's revenge? Japan's freedom? Peace? _Nunnally_?" He shook his head. "You're on the wrong side."

"They're trying to hurt her because of _you_," Suzaku spat. "If you weren't here, none of this would have happened. Euphy, Nunnally… if it wasn't for you they could be happy and alive and with those who loved them."

Lelouch felt his lips curl in disgust. "You mean you? The way you used Euphy to acquire power? The way you tried to use Nunnally to expose me? You speak of love like you have any idea what you're talking about when you'd betray everyone you claim to love for your childish one-sided principles!"

"Fuck you!" Suzaku slammed the glass. "That's not what happened at all! And you're one to talk, you _killed Euphy_."

"And I'd do it again," Lelouch said darkly, knowing it to be the truth. He'd never have let his precious little sister live her life under that _geass_. "And you, Suzaku. Is there a single person you can claim you wouldn't kill if you had to?"

"You," Suzaku snarled. "Death is too good for you."

Lelouch laughed. "Back at you, Suzaku." Suzaku slammed the glass again, and Lelouch barely restrained himself from jerking back. They stood, inches apart and yet completely separated, breathing hard and furious. Lelouch took a deep breath and found the humour in the situation. No one else got to him the way Suzaku did. And he suspected the reverse was the same.

"I'm not actually here to debate the merits of our respective positions," Lelouch said coolly. "I'm here to make you an offer."

Suzaku glared at him suspiciously. "Not interested."

Lelouch rolled his eyes. Fucking _pride_… "I can't leave Nunnally without protection, but I need her current guard and Sayoko-san is injured. If I release you, will you go back to being her knight?"

If nothing else, the offer was worth the stunned expression on Suzaku's face. "You're going to let me out of my cage and leave me to protect the one thing you treasure over everything else?"

"I trust you, Suzaku," Lelouch said, watching as those words hurt Suzaku far more than any Lelouch had snarled at him. "I trust you to protect her. Even if I don't trust you with anything else."

"I…" Suzaku looked lost and almost frightened for a moment, before his expression hardened. "No. No, even for this, I won't become your lackey. Keep me chained up and caged, I still won't perform for you, Zero." He spat the name. "Find someone else to guard your precious princess, and know that if anything happens to her, she would have been safe with _me_."

Lelouch couldn't believe it. "That's your choice, then. You'd rather spite me than protect Nunnally." He shook his head. "Even when I think you can't disappoint me further, you surprise me, Suzaku." It really did hurt – that Suzaku could become so enwrapped with hatred that he'd sacrifice his love to nurture it. "I don't think we'll converse again anytime soon."

"I'll tell them," Suzaku said, and there was an odd urgency in his voice. "I'll tell them who you are. What you can do. I'll tell them everything."

"I don't care," Lelouch responded, walking out of the room, nearly choking on his disgust. "No one cares, Suzaku. You're irrelevant."

Suzaku called out something else, but Lelouch couldn't hear what; the door closed too quickly after him.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Rolo stepped out of the transport first, followed by Sayoko who was wheeling Nunnally and then Jeremiah taking up the rear. They were surrounded by gun-wielding Black Knights and only Nunnally wasn't tensed and ready to spring into action the moment anyone made a provocative move. The door opened and Zero strode out. Rolo stifled an alarmed gasp and watched Jeremiah closely; he hadn't had the opportunity to warn him that Zero was Lelouch vi Britannia and not an enemy.

Fortunately, Jeremiah was taking his lead from Rolo for now. Zero gestured wordlessly for them to follow him and led them to a room.

"Where are we?" Nunnally asked tentatively. It had been a long night and she was a little scared. Rolo was quick to soothe her with general calming words, nothing specific. Zero motioned Sayoko aside and talked to her quietly. When Sayoko returned to Nunnally's side, Zero cocked his head, inviting Rolo and Jeremiah to follow him to another room.

"We're in a safe place for now, Nunnally-sama," Sayoko explained as they left. "Soon we'll be moved somewhere else–"

Once the door closed, Zero turned to face Jeremiah.

"Jeremiah Gottwald," He intoned dramatically. "Do you truly seek to rectify your failure in protecting the Lady Marianne?"

"I do." Jeremiah's stance and tone were both guarded but with certain.

Zero snorted. "Then how do you explain leaving her daughter alone in a base filled with potential enemies?" He took a step forward and Jeremiah's eyes narrowed and his blade appeared. Rolo hoped he figured out that they'd all been allowed to keep their weapons because they were allies here before doing something rash. "Your sense of honour is suspect, My Lord."

"If you harm her…" Jeremiah started, taking a step forward. Rolo's hand shot out, restraining and cautioning.

"Zero, please stop teasing him," He begged. He couldn't use his _geass_ to stop Jeremiah if he went out of control. "He's here because I promised he could trust you." And _that_ had taken some doing. "Otherwise he'd have never left Nunnally's side."

Zero looked at them, expressionlessly due to the mask. "And if I have duties for him elsewhere?"

Jeremiah snorted. "No one has the right to supersede Princess Nunnally's importance."

The dark chuckle from behind the mask was dryly amused. "I would never," Zero said, reaching up to remove the mask. "But you're mistaken if you think that staying by her side is the best use of your talents." With a dramatic gesture, Lelouch tossed the mask onto one of the padded chairs.

Jeremiah gaped at him. "Zero is a _boy_?"

"Did you expect a girl?" Lelouch asked peevishly.

"I didn't expect a _child_!" Jeremiah shot back. Rolo snickered, then felt immediately ashamed of himself.

He felt better when Lelouch's glare softened into an affectionate look. "It's nice to hear you laugh, Rolo." He smiled wryly. "_Despite_ the fact that you're younger than I am."

"I'm not Zero," Rolo pointed out guardedly, relieved when Lelouch just chuckled at that.

"No you're not. But we've derailed somewhat from the original point." Lelouch drew himself up. "I am Lelouch vi Britannia, exiled prince of Britannia and her doom." Jeremiah looked like he might have a heart attack any moment. "While Nunnally's safety is of primary importance, I need you to redeem yourself before I'll trust her with you, Jeremiah Gottwald."

Jeremiah nodded frantically before kneeling, head down as he bowed to Lelouch. "_Anything_, My Prince."

"I can use you to help avenge my mother's death," Lelouch said simply. "And the first step is destroying the _Geass_ Order."

Rolo nodded. They were a threat; they'd nearly killed him and Nunnally. And yet the thought of Nunnally's death no longer send the same degree of horror through him. "Lelouch…"

"Yes, Rolo?" Lelouch asked impatiently.

"Did you use your _geass_ on me? To protect Nunnally?"

Lelouch looked surprised by the question, then his gaze hardened."Yes. More precisely, to place her importance over your own."

Rolo looked down, hurt. "Why? I would never have hurt her…" _probably_.

"I had to be sure," Lelouch explained. "She's my _sister_, Rolo."

"_Our_ sister," Rolo corrected, raising firm eyes from the floor. "She even said so."

"Did she…" Lelouch smiled. "That's wonderful, Rolo."

Rolo let his brother embrace him. "So you don't have to worry. I'll protect her on my own."

Jeremiah watched them with a fond expression. "You won't be alone. I too will pledge my service to Her Highness." He bowed to Lelouch. "Once you have been convinced of my loyalty, Your Highness."

"I'll give you the opportunity to prove it," Lelouch assured him. "As soon as you two can give me the location of the _Geass_ Order and I can formulate a plan, we'll attack."

"And Princess Nunnally?"

Lelouch's smile was approving now, for the first time since Jeremiah had been presented to him. "She will be moved to a safe area and Sayoko will see to her protection." A narrow scowl came over his face. "I had hoped for another guardian, but that is unfortunately impossible. I'll pull Weinberg in instead. Now…" He gestured for Jeremiah to rise. "I'm rather more interested in the power you demonstrated over Rolo's – and my – _geass_."

Jeremiah stood and bowed. "Yes, Your Highness."


	4. Back to School

It had been two days since Lelouch's almost depressing visit. Suzaku hadn't told a soul about him, despite the threats he'd made, and refused to talk to anyone else. They kept him fed and clean and 'entertained' by the 24-hour news and otherwise ignored him. There were no random Japanese guards stopping by to call him a traitor, no one mocking the fall of Britannia's Shinigami, not even another visit from Kaguya – although Suzaku saw her on the news sometimes. She seemed busy.

When Kallen walked in, Suzaku wanted to ignore her like he ignored the guards who brought him meals, but there was a look in her eyes…

"What are you to him?" She looked almost lost, confused… Suzaku had seen that expression on grieving people. "Why are you so important to him?"

Suzaku considered not saying anything, then shrugged. "We were friends. More than that even at one point." He took in her shocked expression and laughed. "Not like _that_. Almost a family…" He'd killed his father, at least in part, for Lelouch. Lelouch had vowed revenge against his own father, at least in part, for Suzaku. "He miscalculated." Suzaku snorted. "_Again_. And now he's stuck with me. Don't fool yourself Kallen, the reason I'm not dead isn't because Zero is keeping me alive, but because he _can't_ kill me. He can imprison me or let me go, but that's it."

"I don't…" Kallen leaned forward, against the glass, barely breathing out the next word. "_Geass_?"

"Bingo." Suzaku laughed again, this time bitterly. "The Power of Kings." From Kallen's expression, she'd heard that phrase before. "I can't die Kallen. I can't let myself be killed or even kill myself." He couldn't stop laughing. "I tried, you know… after I brought him to Pendragon… It was a moment of weakness, but when I woke up the blade was imbedded in the wall and two hours had passed." It was so funny, tears were rolling down his cheeks. "He trapped me long before that damned chess match, in this body, in this _life_. And, you know what? It made me a better fighter. A better killer. Outmatched and outgunned and I still come out alive because of _him_!" Suzaku's voice cracked and he wondered when exactly he'd started crying.

It wasn't fair! His hard-won control had been the only thing he'd taken pride in since becoming the Knight of Seven. He'd never broken down, not even in private (that one moment on his bed, admiring his new dagger aside) and had never shown weakness to the other knights or nobles. Not until Lelouch came and _scolded _him, telling him that he didn't understand love and suddenly, Suzaku the crybaby was back. And in front of Kallen, whose lip was curling with disgust…

"You _are_ weak," She snapped. "Needing to be protected from your own suicidal tendencies by your enemy? He protected you the moment he knew who you were, you know. And have you ever done _anything_ for him? You betrayed him and abandoned him…"

"So did you." Suzaku wasn't normally this cruel, but it was worth it to hear Kallen's sharp intake of breath cutting off her words. "And yet you're still by his side. How does _that_ feel?"

Kallen glared. "I'm not at his side right now, am I?"

Oh. _That's_ why she… "Where is he?" Kallen scoffed and Suzaku had to admit she had a point – he wouldn't tell him either. "Why did he leave you behind?"

"He took Kinoshita's group and the new boy and some guy." Kallen huffed as if they hadn't been accusing each other of treason moments before. "_I'm_ the Zero squad leader, I should be with him, not some new people and random knights."

Suzaku laughed. "Knights… he always did know how to communicate disdain without actually saying anything outright."

Kallen shrugged. "Can you blame him?"

"Not for that…" Suzaku trailed off. "Why didn't you just follow him?"

Of all possible reactions, Suzaku had not expected the blush. "I… I'm not some needy clingy follower," Kallen snapped.

"No…" Suzaku said carefully. "You're the captain of Zero's personal squad. No one's saying that you're not entitled to protect him."

"Good!" Kallen nodded viciously. "Because I am. And I will. If he lets me…"

Suzaku could relate to that. "That's always been a problem with him. Letting himself be protected, letting himself trust." _He trusted Suzaku with Nunnally_…

"I know," Kallen admitted. "He kept it from me… he's still keeping so much from Ougi and Toudou and the others…"

"Kallen." Suzaku walked towards the glass, keeping his hands visible and friendly. "I know you're loyal to him. But that doesn't mean unquestioning obedience. There has to be a reason he left you behind this time, maybe a reason he doesn't want you to know. He… he doesn't always make the right decisions, you know that. He needs someone to rein him in sometimes. And you're close to him… you could be that person."

Kallen shook her head. "You don't understand. It's not… I followed him after Narita, after Shirley's father…" She swallowed. "I followed him after the tanker exploded, I followed him after Kamine island, and I… I _earned _his trust. And then I lost it because _you_… because I couldn't adapt to the thought of him being a brat prince. I don't know why you two fell out. I don't know your past, and I don't know why you're willing to fight someone you lo-liked. But I can't do that. I can't let him go just because I learned something new about him. And I can't second guess him because if I'm wrong, it's like we're back there and I let him get taken again."

"He caused the genocide at the SAZ," Suzaku said and Kallen's eyes widened. "Euphy was… Euphy was a peaceful girl above all else. If she had thought the situation in Area 11 was fine, she wouldn't have done anything. She _wanted_ the SAZ in good faith. And then she met with Le-Zero. And when she came out she was armed and she ordered the slaughter of innocent people." Suzaku pressed against the glass, as if proximity would make him more believable. "She would_ never_ have done that on her own, Kallen. You know what that means…"

"N-no… he wouldn't have…"

Suzaku felt the familiar cold rage. "He did. And it nearly worked – he managed to rally the Japanese people, mustered up enough forces to overthrow the military before the reinforcements could come and then… it would have been eight years ago all over again. Only Zero would have had the same stance as my father – that they would defend Japan to the last man standing. And he would have used the chaos to further his own goals."

"He…" It was believable. Credible. Lelouch wouldn't have hesitated to kill and demonize one person to achieve his ends. He talked so glibly about protecting his subordinates and his people, but anyone on the other side was fair game as far as he was concerned. And he hated the royal family, he probably hated Euphemia as well… "So what? Is that so much worse then what you've done? What _I've _done?"

Suzaku couldn't believe it. "Yes! Using Euphy like that, arranging for the slaughter of innocents…"

"We ran to the ghetto to get away from the military," Kallen interrupted. "We knew we were putting civilians at risk." She glared at him. "You_ target_ civilian facilities when you invade to demoralize and terrify the population." She shook her head. "He… he did what he had to do. And I'm sorry if someone _you_ cared about was killed, but everyone you've killed had friends and lovers and family too."

"It's not the same," Suzaku insisted. "Lelouch… he _cheats_ and lies and…"

Kallen laughed and it sounded a little broken. "And you've been completely honest and forthright with your motivations. And I've never lied or used dirty tactics. God, Suzaku, we're barely adults and we've probably killed more people than we've met."

"I know," Suzaku said. "I know that I don't deserve forgiveness for what I've done. But neither does he and you're just so quick to give it to him. To _laud_ him for his sins."

"Hate the sin," Kallen said, with an ironic twist to her mouth that looked highly unflattering. "Love the sinner. Suzaku, do you really hate Lelouch? Or do you just hate what he's done?"

Suzaku couldn't answer that.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

That night, Zero came to visit him.

"We're going to Ashford in the morning."

Before Suzaku could answer, Zero turned on his heel and marched out.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

It wasn't just them. Rolo, and Kallen were coming too. Suzaku considered trying to escape, then decided it would be a better idea to try when they landed. For one thing, it would be a bad idea to jump out of the transport over the ocean. For another, he was chained to the wall by both wrists and ankles. Not insurmountable, but certainly not an ideal escape opportunity.

Lelouch, completely unselfconsciously, changed from his Zero costume to his Ashford uniform. Kallen looked away the whole time, flushed and clearly irritated. Rolo placed the Zero mask reverently in its carrying case, but let Lelouch fold his own clothes (anally, Suzaku thought).

"My father's dead," Lelouch said blandly. Suzaku managed not to react. "Or imprisoned eternally in purgatory, whatever." Lelouch shrugged. "Odysseus will take the throne in a month or so with Schneizel's support and negotiate a treaty with the U.F.N. that will involve the gradual liberation of all Areas who want to be liberated." He steepled his fingers. "China is willing to allow India to become its own country, the _Geass_ Order is no more, and Nunnally is safe." Lelouch smirked. "I win, Suzaku. Even if you escape, there's nowhere to run to. Cornelia might have been a threat at one point, but we have her under guard and the rest of my siblings will follow Odysseus and Schneizel, and they follow me. Kaguya and Tianzi rule the rest of the world and I control their armies. You are neither needed nor a threat."

"I could kill you right now." Suzaku was never afraid to point out the obvious.

Lelouch didn't flinch. "Wouldn't matter. I've achieved everything I needed to achieve. Nunnally's peaceful world is a reality and Japan is free. I've kept _my_ promises." _Have you kept any of yours_?

Kallen grabbed her gun as Suzaku shifted. "At what cost?"

"Thousands of lives," Lelouch answered blandly. "Millions, even. For the freedom of billions, though, and for the future. Are you going to tell me it's not worth the cost?"

"Nothing could be worth–" Suzaku cut himself off. Lelouch leaned forward.

"If you'd asked her… if you'd offered her this world in return for her sacrifice, Suzaku. What would she have said?"

"Shut up," Suzaku snarled. "You just… don't talk about her."

Lelouch glared back, eyes cold and resentful. "She was _my_ sister. I'll talk about her if I wish."

"You _killed_ her."

"So did you!" Lelouch snapped. "Do you really think she would have been there if it hadn't been for you? Do you think that things would have even gotten that far if it hadn't been for you and the Lancelot? Every time you tried to do what you thought was right, every time you stood against me, you set up the conditions for what happened."

"You didn't have to _kill_ her!"

"I did!" Lelouch was breathing hard now. "That was the one thing… the _only _thing I could do to make up for…" He shook his head. "The least I could do was kill her, Suzaku. She wouldn't have wanted to live like that."

_Suzaku, you're Japanese, aren't you?  
>No, I mustn't. I can't even think such a thing.<em>

"I don't care." Suzaku closed his mind to that memory. "I could have kept her safe, kept her from hurting anyone…"

"She would have tried to kill you and your _geass_ wouldn't have let her." Lelouch's voice was oddly gentle. "What would you be, Suzaku, with Euphy's blood on your hands?"

"What are you?" Suzaku asked quietly.

Lelouch leaned back. "I'm Zero."

"I hate you."

"…I know."

There wasn't much more to say after that. Rolo whispered something to Lelouch who just shook his head and drew the smaller boy in for a warm embrace. Kallen relaxed finally beside Suzaku and let him fume in silence. The transport landed about an hour later and their pilot came to retrieve them.

"One moment." Lelouch smiled. "Jeremiah, if you would please…"

"Of course, Your Highness." Suzaku felt a strange, almost nauseating feeling as the man focused on him, and then nothing except Lelouch watching him expectantly.

"…what?"

Lelouch smiled and drew his own gun. "Your _geass_ is gone. You can die whenever you want now." His smiled hardened. "Or whenever other people want, depending on the circumstances. Kallen, if you would?"

Suzaku let Kallen uncuff him without a struggle as the gun in Lelouch's hand suddenly held more weight. A genuine threat or a… promise?

"I'm not gonna make you shoot me, Lelouch." Suzaku walked past him without giving him another look. "I want to see this through to the end."

Lelouch chuckled fondly, every inch in control now. "I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"Lulu, Suzaku!" Shirley jumped up from Milly's side the moment she saw them, waving enthusiastically. "And Rolo and… Kallen?"

"Kallen?" Milly and Rivalz chorused, scrambling up as well to see the small group approaching them.

Milly hummed. "A Knight of Rounds and a Black Knight side by side…"

Rivalz laughed nervously. "I bet Lelouch got them to make up. Although if Kallen's back…" He looked nervously at Shirley.

She wasn't there. She was already running up to them, throwing her arms around Kallen. "You're okay! We were all so worried when we hadn't heard from you and then the Black Knights came back and every time there was a fight I worried about you and Suzaku and Gino and Anya and… what's wrong?"

Kallen hadn't moved since Shirley hugged her, standing stiff and still and trembling a little. She blinked hard and tears leaked from the edges of her eyes. "Shirley… your father, I'm so… so sorry."

Shirley deflated a little. "That's okay. It wasn't you, Kallen. I'm just so glad you're safe."

By this time, Rivalz and Milly had caught up to them. "Where the hell have you been?" Rivalz demanded of Lelouch. Milly ignored them and joined Shirley in hugging Kallen.

Lelouch, honestly, preferred Rivalz's rather ruder greeting. "It's an incredibly long story and probably requires sitting down somewhere private."

"Okay," Rivalz said. "As soon as the girls are done their love-fest." It would be a while. "Who're you?"

Jeremiah bowed slightly. "Jeremiah Gottwald, at your service."

"Only not really, he's just being polite." Lelouch herded the teary girls and impatient Rivalz to the Student Council Room. Jeremiah and Suzaku followed, slightly bemused.

Once they were all seated, Lelouch cleared his throat. "So. Let's start at the beginning. Jeremiah?"

This time Suzaku felt nothing, but he could tell by the reactions from everyone else that they felt something similar to when Jeremiah had erased his _geass_. "Lelouch, what are you…"

"I don't… where's Nunnally?"

"Lulu is…"

"You… you're not Lelouch's brother."

Lelouch hit Rivalz lightly on the head with rolled up papers. "Don't tease Rolo because he's my half-sibling."

"Oh… right…" Suzaku could literally _see_ the moment when that became the most reasonable explanation to everyone present. "And Nunnally?"

"She's in hiding since she relinquished control of Area 11," Lelouch said. "I have no idea where she is, but Odysseus has assured me that she's safe."

Milly sighed. "Let me tell you, the moment Nunna-chan took office, I was glad _that_ secret was out. It was _hard_ hiding royalty!"

"We appreciated it very much." Lelouch smiled. "Although I technically resigned any claim to the throne when I was exiled. And Rolo's not exactly acknowledged royalty."

"…Lulu is…"

"What did you just do?" Kallen hissed.

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Oh, right. I need to tell you where I was. Sorry for dashing off like that, but…"

"No, no," Milly said. "I assume that with everything that was happening, you'd be called back. But did they need Rolo as well?"

Rolo sat up straighter. "My place is by Lelouch's side."

Lelouch shot him an affectionate look. "Or by Nunnally's if Odysseus would let us in on the secret. But then again, I suppose I'm grateful for the level of security around her."

"What are you gonna do now that the Black Knights have won?" Rivalz asked. Kallen glowered at him and he grinned back cheekily.

"We're allies now," Lelouch pointed out. "Or we will be when the treaty's signed. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if there were closer connections formed between Japan and Britannia within the year."

"Japan, huh." Rivalz sighed. "That's gonna take some getting used to."

Lelouch smiled, leaning forwards, eyes glittering with pleasure and victory. "It'll be worth it, Rivalz. You'll see."

Suzaku was very nearly sick as they left the room, everyone's memories basically returned to normal with the slight addition of Rolo and Lelouch's and Nunnally's royal heritage. It was as if the _geass_ had never existed. Still, the way Lelouch played them and manipulated them… his supposed _friends_…

"Lelouch can I talk to you?" Shirley had been very quiet up until now and Suzaku was surprised to hear the tremor and suppressed fear in her voice. "…in private?"

"Of course." Lelouch gently took Shirley's elbow and guided her back into the room. Suzaku swallowed his nausea and followed. "…Suzaku?"

"I'm not leaving you alone with her." Suzaku glared. Lelouch looked at him for a moment, then simply nodded and gestured for him to take a seat. Shirley cast a doubtful gaze at Suzaku and Lelouch smiled gently at her.

"It's okay, Shirley. Suzaku and I don't have any secrets between us." A beat. "_Anymore_."

Suzaku grunted in irritation but couldn't deny the truth of that. As far as he knew.

"So then he knows that you're…" Rolo was suddenly in the room and Suzaku was half out of his seat when Shirley lowered her voice and continued. "You're Zero?"

"Lelouch?" Rolo had drawn his blade and was looking coolly at Lelouch, awaiting orders. Suzaku judged the distance between him and Rolo and the distance between Rolo and Shirley and the fact of Rolo's _geass_ and realized there was no way he would get there in time if Lelouch ordered it…

"Rolo, come here." Lelouch smiled and patted the seat beside him. "Yes, Shirley. Suzaku knows, as do Rolo and Kallen. And you." He leaned forward. "You won't be harmed for this knowledge, I assure you, nor for whatever you want to do about it."

Shirley nodded. "I want… I want to help you."

Suzaku had not been expecting that. From Lelouch's expression, neither had he. Only Rolo looked unsurprised.

"I want to make you and Nunnally and… and Rolo happy. I want to help protect you."

Lelouch recovered admirably quickly. "You… you can't Shirley," he said gently. "It's just not something you can do. I'm sorry. The best thing would be for you to forget–"

"No, please!" She looked terrified and Lelouch drew back. "Please don't take away my memories and my feelings again, Lulu. It was… it was so _lonely_ being with you and knowing there was something missing and I… I love you."

Suzaku flushed and looked away. He shouldn't be here for this.

"I love you. I… even knowing how you caught my father in all this, I simply couldn't hate you. Even though you made me forget everything, I still fell in love with you. Even though I lost my memories, I kept falling in love with you all over again." Tears were running down her cheeks and landing on her clenched fists. "I suppose that it's simply fate."

Lelouch reached out and brushed the tears away. "There is no fate, Shirley," he said, coldly and Suzaku's head snapped up in disbelief. Lelouch looked completely untouched. "There are only personal choices. And just because you keep making the same ones, doesn't mean they're the correct ones."

"…but…"

"Don't worry." Lelouch's lips twisted into something like a smile. "First loves are supposed to end in heartbreak. You'll find someone better."

Shirley stared at him before bursting into tears and running out of the room. Lelouch sighed and sat back, looking tired.

Suzaku stood up. "You _bastard_!"

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

When Shirley ran past Kallen and Milly as they caught up, crying and clearly trying to hide it, they made quick eye contact and moved in separate directions; Milly rushing after Shirley and Kallen returning to the Student Council room.

She wasn't sure what she'd expected to see, but Lelouch spitting blood from a split lip and Suzaku pinned down by Rolo, the blade at his neck drawing blood it was pressed so closely, wasn't it.

"…not a human, feeling bone in your body!" Suzaku didn't even seem to notice that Rolo was on top of him, as he snarled angrily at Lelouch.

"And if I'd accepted?" Lelouch snapped back. "What would you have punched me for then? Entrapment?"

"You could have been less of an ass about it," Suzaku yelled back. "Maybe if you thought about other people's feelings for once, you wouldn't end up screwing up every relationship you've ever had!"

So. Lelouch had made Shirley cry by rejecting her harshly and Suzaku was acting like a sort of friend and punching some sense into him. This would have been less absurd if they hadn't hated each other. Or if Lelouch's little brother wasn't straddling Suzaku's supine form with a dagger to his neck.

"Quit it!" Everyone turned to Kallen. "Look, Shirley ran out here crying and that's… that sucks. But it's over and it hardly merits bloodshed and murder." She'd read Rolo's expression easily. God, that boy was cold. "Now if everyone could just put on their big boy pants and stop squabbling like children, maybe we can do something about this."

Unsurprisingly, it was Rolo who moved first, getting off Suzaku and not quite putting his dagger away, but not brandishing it at least. Suzaku got up and sulkily didn't face Lelouch, but at least there was no violence in his stance.

Lelouch just remained seated, accepting the tissue that Rolo handed him, but otherwise clearly caught up within his own mind. Kallen knew how hard he was to drag out, so she left him alone.

"Is she okay?" Suzaku asked softly. At least he seemed to really care, rather than just using it as an excuse to hit Lelouch.

"Milly's with her." Kallen looked around awkwardly. "Maybe, once things are calmed down…"

"We're leaving in one hour," Lelouch interrupted. "There are things that we need to do and they won't get done here."

"What?" Suzaku turned on him again and Rolo's grip tightened around the dagger and Kallen felt the beginning of a migraine developing. Probably. She'd never had a migraine before.

Lelouch stood. "Kallen and Rolo and Jeremiah and I are leaving in an hour." His enunciation was perfect. "Things are moving quickly for us and we need to be there." He turned to Suzaku, his expression part glare, part sneer. "You, of course, may do whatever you wish. There are numerous tall buildings in Tokyo, Suzaku. The fall should be painless and the landing, if you manage it right, only briefly painful."

…was he telling Suzaku to go kill himself? Kallen held her breath as Suzaku's eyes widened with shock and… hurt? Rolo looked quietly amused.

"That's it then?" Suzaku sounded incredibly subdued compared to the snarling boy moments before.

Lelouch shrugged. "Or you could return with us. Or go back to Britannia which, in a few weeks, will amount to the same thing."

Suzaku snorted. "You're really selling the suicide option, aren't you?" He rolled his eyes. "Is there any way to get the Lancelot back?"

"Lord Asplund has already been sent to rendezvous with the Ikaruga," Lelouch said. "I might have given it to Kallen, but she seems rather attached to her Guren."

"Damn right," Kallen growled. "I wouldn't touch that impractical frame with anything other than the Radiation Wave arm."

Suzaku shook his head. "Then I guess you'll need a devicer."

Lelouch met his gaze evenly. "I don't need anything."

Kallen sighed. Stupid boys… "Look, are you joining us or not, Suzaku?"

Suzaku looked at her gravely. "If only to be in a position to stop you from going too far." Even now, he was only speaking to Lelouch.

"Then be ready to leave in half an hour." Lelouch swept grandly out of the room.

Kallen looked at Suzaku. "Wanna lay odds that Milly will grab him by the ear and make him apologize to Shirley?"

Suzaku shrugged. "I don't gamble on sure things, Kallen."


	5. Field Trip

They left three hours later, and Lelouch had made a sort of peace with Shirley. In that she was coming with them, despite his protests.

Suzaku tried _really_ hard not to be smug, but it was nearly impossible. Especially with Milly and Rivalz tagging along. For some reason, no one accepted 'school' as a priority, no matter how Lelouch phrased it.

"So you joined the Black Knights?" Rivalz asked Lelouch, shooting Kallen vaguely apprehensive and appreciative looks. Well, she _did_ look different in the skintight uniform with the front half-unzipped. And Rivalz, as much as his unrequited crush on Milly continued unabated, was still a guy.

Lelouch shook his head. "It's not that simple. It's about Nunnally…"

"Nunna-chan!" Milly looked excited. "Will we get to see her?"

Suzaku waited for the inevitable deflection and rejection and– "Of course." …_what_?

"Yay!" Milly grinned. "It's been _forever_! When?"

"Right away," Lelouch assured her. "It's our next stop."

His expression was completely the benign mild affection of Lelouch Lamperouge. It was as much of a mask as Zero's, which would have (oddly enough) revealed more. Suzaku glared at him, uncertain of his plans and expectations and more than a little nervous of a Lelouch who was clearly plotting something. Lelouch ignored him.

Shirley's eyes were still red and puffy from crying (the curse of being fair skinned and a redhead) but she was rallying remarkably well. Lelouch was still refusing to even consider returning her feelings, assuring her instead that she had always been an important friend to him, and she was taking that well enough considering everything. She was still shooting occasional glances at Lelouch, but managed to catch herself before they could evolve into longing looks.

She even managed to smile when Rivalz or Milly engaged her in conversation.

Kallen refused to look at her – still likely feeling guilty over the quick and easy way that Shirley had forgiven her. Suzaku felt some of that guilt as well; he'd used that experience to cement his own feelings towards Zero and hadn't properly been supportive of Shirley's grief. He was trying to be more empathetic now, trying to truly care about the people Lelouch hurt rather than simply using them as an excuse for his anger, but it was hard.

Especially when _Lelouch_ didn't seem to feel that guilt at all, on any level.

In fact, he looked supremely unconcerned and almost smugly satisfied with himself. Suzaku had no idea why, but he kept his guard up just in case. Rolo, in return, was keeping an eye on him and making sure he was between Suzaku and Lelouch at all times. It made for a somewhat tense flight for everyone. Except Lelouch. And Milly and Rivalz who, oblivious to the tension (or possibly just used to it by now), were focused on seeing Nunnally again.

A sentiment Suzaku could share once the transport landed.

Lelouch, flanked by Rolo and Kallen (and Jeremiah once the pilot joined them), was the first one out. Sayoko and Nunnally were waiting for them just outside the plane, both looking pleased to see them. Lelouch stopped at the doorway and Sayoko bowed in greeting, moving only a little stiffly from her healing injury.

Then Rivalz and Milly and Shirley bowled past him, rushing to Nunnally's side.

"Nunna-chan, you're looking so well! Why didn't you come visit us?"

"I'm sorry, there wasn't really time…"

"Aw, don't make her feel bad, president! How have you been, though?"

"Very well."

"Lelouch said you're being taken care of by Prince Odysseus. Is that okay?"

"…Lelouch?"

The sudden silence at Nunnally's perturbed but hopeful question rang louder than any greeting. Suzaku was surprised to see Lelouch, so cool and calm before, looking confused and conflicted and, frankly, terrified. It occurred to Suzaku, for the first time, that they were really just kids – barely eighteen. And that Lelouch could play mental games with the world all he wanted, but he really, _really_ sucked at the emotional aspects.

"He's right here, Nunnally." Suzaku steadfastly refused to give Lelouch a chance to escape. Lelouch shot him a glare and swallowed nervously before walking up to his sister and pasting a fake smile on his face.

"N-Nunnally…" His voice broke a little on her name. "It's been… I've… you…"

"Lelouch…" Nunnally reached up, unerringly finding Lelouch's exact position from the sound of his voice, and pulled him down for a hug. "I missed you."

Watching Lelouch kneel and embrace his sister, seeing everyone bite their lip or look away, moved by the emotional scene, and noticing the shudder that ran through Lelouch's back that could only be a silent sob, Suzaku realized something else.

For all the lives that he'd taken, for all the wrongs he had committed, for all the lies and hurt and everything that Lelouch had ever done…

There would always be a part of Suzaku that would see him as simply this; Nunnally's brother. And that part of Suzaku was finally able to see what he needed to do now.

They stayed until the sun set, everyone taking turns telling Nunnally stories and sitting down to a meal cooked by Sayoko and (of course) Lelouch. As he helped clear the table, Suzaku saw Lelouch take Rolo aside for a quiet conversation. It was enough to make him suspicious.

"-here with Nunnally. After all, she's blind."

Suzaku made sure to stay just within hearing distance, out of sight.

"_Geass _isn't my only motivator, Rolo. As long as I keep it from them, Kallen and Suzaku won't be at risk anymore than anyone else. I've managed not to use my _geass_ on you by accident, after all."

Rolo sighed. "I just don't think you want a repeat of what happened with Euphemia." Suzaku had to catch his breath. "Your _geass_ isn't done evolving yet – who knows; one day you and Suzaku might be arguing and…"

"It won't," Lelouch vowed softly. "I won't put him in that position. I already… I've already broken my vow to never use it on him once. And I've learned my lesson with Euphy. I'll guard my words more carefully than I did with her." Lelouch laughed bitterly. "And I have Jeremiah now, to correct any future mistakes."

…_mistakes_? Suzaku's mind refused to analyze what that could mean, even as a part of him had already figured it out.

"That's true." Rolo nodded. "And he's entirely loyal to you – it's almost disturbing. With him around, you can correct any similar missteps easily."

"Pretty much." Lelouch still sounded bitter. "I still don't have the answers to my questions. Schneizel doesn't know, Odysseus doesn't know – not that _that_ was a surprise. Cornelia didn't know, but with Jeremiah on my side, I can have her look for those answers as well." Lelouch shook his head. "I'm beginning to think the only person who _did_ know was my father."

"And he's out of reach," Rolo reminded Lelouch softly. "Is it that important to you, Lelouch? You have the world in your hands, is that not enough?"

Lelouch snorted. "It's not _the point_. I never wanted any of this. All I wanted was a peaceful world and your and Nunnally's happiness and the truth behind my mother's murder."

"…and vengeance."

"That too," Lelouch admitted. "The things I've lost along the way… Euphy, Suzaku, whatever could have been with Shirley, my own freedom… I can't stop now. Not when I'm so close and it's cost so much."

"You can still stand to lose more." Rolo touched his arm gently. "Nunnally is still alive. Kallen is still by your side. I'm…"

Lelouch stood. "No. I won't. I'm not leaving things up to chance anymore." He turned to leave which would bring him right by Suzaku's hiding place and… Suzaku stepped out into the clearing.

"You mean that everything else you did was just _carelessness_?" He demanded in a snide voice. The last thing he wanted Lelouch to know was the he'd overheard the comments about Euphemia. "And you're seriously saying this while leaving your sister alone to chat with…" the look he shot Rolo was cool, "your fake brother." Rolo stared back, impassive.

Lelouch looked surprised to see him, but shook that off quickly enough. "Nunnally is well protected." He raised an eyebrow and pushed past Suzaku. "If you'd like to personally ensure that, I can have the Lancelot here by tomorrow."

"No." Suzaku refused to even consider it. To be Nunnally's knight again would… well, it would be wonderful in so many ways. He really, truly cared for her and it would keep him busy and away from Lelouch who Suzaku was beginning to… not-hate. A little. Maybe. The point was it wasn't as simple as it had once seemed – he and Lelouch had been enemies and it was his duty to stop Lelouch from… well, being Lelouch. But things were different now. If Suzaku stuck to his principles and continued trying to work within the system, he'd be right beside Gino, grinning and bowing to Lelouch-as-Zero. If Suzaku stuck with his hatred of Zero, he'd be essentially alone, acting on his own impulses. Even if he won that way, it would be his loss – that night in the shrine all over again, his father's blood on his hands…

"No," Suzaku said again, shaking off the memory. "I'm not leaving your side."

Lelouch looked… more than merely surprised. Shocked. Then his customary smirk returned. "Is your life truly so meaningless without a _geass_, Suzaku?"

Suzaku glared. "If you do that to me again, I'll find some way to repay you. And it won't be as measured as merely dragging you in front of your father."

All humour drained from Lelouch's face. "What do you want from me, Suzaku? I removed your _geass_, I gave you your freedom… I'm even offering you a comfortable place and your old life back. _What do you want_?"

"I want Euphy back." Suzaku watched Lelouch go pale. "I want her to not be dead, and not be the person you made her in her last minutes of her life. Can you give me that Lelouch?"

"…no."

Suzaku snorted. "Then I'm going to make sure you never do anything like that again. You need someone to hold you back." He shot a disgusted look at Rolo. "Someone who actually has the guts to tell you when you're screwing up."

"That would imply that you had the brains to actually notice," Rolo pointed out. "You weren't that astute when you came to Ashford after Zero's reappearance."

That, honestly, hit home. Suzaku had been almost hyper-attentive to Lelouch, watching for any hint of Zero's re-emergence, and he hadn't seen a damn sign. His instincts had all pointed to the fact that this new Zero was the same as the old Zero, but he hadn't had any evidence. The problem was, he'd been expecting Rolo and the other members of the intelligence task force to gather that evidence. And Rolo had been Lelouch's tool and the task force… had most likely fallen to Lelouch's _geass_.

And all Lelouch had had to do was act like his normal fake self and wait until Suzaku's back was turned. Which he had.

Suzaku wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. "I won't let that happen again. I'm not trusting anyone with this task but myself." He turned to Lelouch. "I'm not leaving your side. Ever. At all your meetings, at all your meals, when you sleep, when you shower… I will stand outside your stall when you piss, understood?"

Lelouch rolled his eyes. "What makes you think I'd agree to that?"

"Because the alternative is me killing you at some point." Rolo shifted, but Suzaku kept his gaze on Lelouch. "So you can either let me monitor you, or you can wait until I get in position to kill you."

"Or," Rolo suggested, his hand moving towards his belt, "we take care of this now."

Lelouch placed a hand on Rolo's arm. "I told you Rolo, I don't want you doing things like that." He turned to Suzaku. "You're not sleeping with me. Or showering with me."

"Fine," Suzaku conceded. "_Near_ you, whatever."

…it was doable. Zero's chamber had three rooms off a main room – one of which was a bedroom and another could easily be turned into one. If Lelouch had planned on sneaking around behind Suzaku's back and going against the better interests of the world, it would have been problematic. As he wasn't planning on doing any of that… "Fine. We'll trial it for a week, and see how it goes."

"Really?" Suzaku had not been expecting things to go that smoothly. "You're sure."

"Anything to stop you from plotting to kill me." Lelouch shot him a serene smiled as he walked past him. "After all, you're so _good_ at it."

…_bastard_. Suzaku followed him back towards the group.

A familiar sound drew his attention – the sound of a Knightmare Jet landing. As far as Suzaku knew, that sound was unique to…

"–and have Weinberg join us once the Tristan's secure." Jeremiah nodded and left to follow Lelouch's orders. Suzaku frowned.

"Are you going to keep him under your _geass_?"

"Of course." Lelouch didn't even hesitate. "Otherwise how could I trust Nunnally to him?"

What was this, blackmail? "I'm not leaving you, not even to protect Nunnally." _Not even to save Gino_.

"You mentioned." Lelouch sounded less than impressed. Suzaku scowled. "You can't negotiate for the release of Weinberg. He's too useful. Even if you took his place at Nunnally's side, I'd find some other use for him."

Suzaku's scowl darkened. "You can't just manipulate and use people like this, Lelouch…"

"Of course I can," Lelouch retorted easily. "That's what my _geass_ does, Suzaku. And now that I have Jeremiah, there's really no significant limitation to what I can do." He shrugged. "The moment you left me alone with Schneizel, I won the war. At least you're on the winning side for once, even if only reluctantly."

"You're a disgusting human being."

Lelouch hummed noncommittally. "As you say." Rolo glared at Suzaku for the insult, but Suzaku wasn't paying any attention to him. Lelouch was taking this far too complacently, allowing Suzaku to demand things and insult him and…

"Your Highness Zero, sir!" Gino, grinning and bounding with his typical energy, approached them. "We have guests!" He looked even more excited than normal.

Lelouch smiled and acknowledged the grandiose bow that Gino offered him before grabbing his hands. "You have to, like, _formally_ formally introduce me to Kallen again! I mean, now that we're not enemies." The sight of Gino tugging Lelouch impatiently towards the group was an odd one, Suzaku admitted to himself. "She scowls every time she sees me! Which is, admittedly, kind of hot, but it's impossible to kiss someone who's sincerely scowling." Gino looked completely earnest. "I've tried."

"I bet you have, Weinberg." Lelouch sounded amused. "I'd hold off on kissing Kallen until she stops sending you death glares. That tends to be one of those subtle feminine hints."

Lelouch. Giving relationship advice. Suzaku snorted and followed them.

Sure enough, Lelouch's formal introductions didn't do much more than force a veneer of civility over Kallen's still-obvious disgust. Lelouch patted her shoulder and reminded her to "play nice" before moving to sit beside Nunnally, leaning in to whisper something that must have been a joke as Nunnally immediately giggled.

She looked so happy.

For a moment, Suzaku forgot about Lelouch's easy manipulation of everyone around him, about Rolo's homicidal tendencies, about Gino's mental slavery and Jeremiah's willing slavery, and just watched Nunnally laugh with her brother.

"Thank you."

Suzaku nearly jumped at the soft words. Milly laughed and handed him a drink. "Here."

Rather than sniff it for alcohol, Suzaku politely took it, but didn't drink. "What are you thanking me for?"

Milly laughed. "Like you don't know." She leaned against Suzaku, smiling fondly at Lelouch and Nunnally. "He's here because of you, isn't he? Something you did or said… having him come back with you and Kallen… he was part of the Black Knights, wasn't he?"

One day, Suzaku would stop being surprised by the fact that everyone was smarter than him. "How long have you known?"

"I'm not sure." Milly smiled. "I'd suspected something for a while, but it all made sense when you brought him back with Kallen. The alliance with the U.F.N., the new freedom of Area 11… that allowed you to find him, didn't it? And you were always with Nunnally… no wonder he never seemed worried about her."

Suzaku's stomach clenched with guilt.

"Thank you for bringing them back together." Milly pressed a soft kiss against Suzaku's cheek before blinking and stumbling back. "Oh! I… I think I may be a bit drunk. I _definitely_ got carried away. Suzaku…"

"It's okay." Suzaku smiled. "It's fine. Thanks for saying that."

Milly smiled again, a little nervously this time, and moved back to sit with Shirley. Suzaku could still feel the warmth from where her lips had touched him, something he hadn't felt since…

_"Welcome home, Suzaku."_

Suzaku shook his head. He didn't want to think of Euphemia, or her smile, or her gratitude; so similar to Milly's… She'd held his hand and kissed his cheek, and drew back flushed but happy and Suzaku had… for the first time in years, he'd had true hope. And she'd gone even further and kept that unspoken promise as best she could until…

Had it truly been a mistake? Was it even _possible_ to make such a mistake? Rolo had certainly implied that it could happen again, but Lelouch had refused to even consider that possibility and…

"You look troubled."

For the second time that night, Suzaku was taken by surprise. At least this time, it was someone with training. "I'd prefer not to discuss it with you, Sir Jeremiah."

"Ah." The man seemed perturbed. "I hope it's not because of the accusations about Prince Clovis's death."

"No."

"Or the subsequent interrogation."

"Not at all."

"Or the planned execution."

Suzaku shook his head. "It's because you're Lelouch's."

"And you are not?"

"No," Suzaku denied vehemently. "I'm _not_."

"Well then." Jeremiah's hand landed firmly on Suzaku's shoulder. An oddly friendly gesture. "I shall kill you at the first sign of any threat towards my prince. But otherwise… I've known you to be a capable man, and an honourable opponent. I can assure you that despite belonging body and soul to the prince and princess, I will endeavour to be an ally to yourself as well."

"…why?"

Jeremiah shrugged. "Because. You may deny being Prince Lelouch's, but the way you looked at him and the princess… there is a part of you that is theirs."

Suzaku looked away, perturbed by the fact that Lelouch was looking back at him. And not glaring or scowling, but with an expression of gentle… almost confusion.

Jeremiah turned away. "Strangely enough, though, it seems that perhaps there is a part of Prince Lelouch's that is yours as well."

Suzaku scowled and stormed off. What the hell did _Jeremiah_ know – he was a soldier and half-machine at that! There was _nothing_ between him and Lelouch but bad memories and poor decisions.

And it would be _great_ if everyone saw that as well.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

The warmth of the sun did surprisingly little to dispel the chill from Suzaku as he woke at dawn, curled up against the side of a tree.

There had been more than enough room inside for everyone, but Suzaku hadn't been willing to return to the party. Not with everyone and their mistaken impression of him and Lelouch and…

And then there was Lelouch himself, oddly agreeable, refusing to rise to Suzaku's bait, that look of confusion… what was he playing at?

In the end, Suzaku had decided it was a warm enough night to sleep outside and had found a tree far enough away that he wouldn't be disturbed. He hadn't really reckoned on the sharp temperature drop a few hours before dawn, or the humidity sinking through his clothes to sap the heat from his body, but he'd slept in worse places.

He emptied his bladder and, jogging to warm up, rejoined the rest of the group.

He frowned as he approached, hearing the hum of warming engines and the odd clang of metal hitting metal. Sounds that were familiar to him, as they came at the end of every campaign…

The sight of Lelouch speaking with Gino and Sayoko as Kallen and Jeremiah loaded the plane, was unsurprising, as was the sight of the Ashford students crowded around Nunnally, clearly saying good bye. Suzaku's eyes narrowed. They were leaving.

"–unless you hear it directly from Rolo or mysel–" Suzaku cut Lelouch's instructions off by grabbing him and throwing him up against the side of the plane. "Suzaku!"

"Don't act surprised," Suzaku growled, pinning him against curved surface. "Did you forget our promise?"

Lelouch shifted under him and Suzaku was enraged to realize that he was warning Gino and Sayoko _off_. "Answer me!" He slammed Lelouch against the hard metal again, ignoring his wince.

"Dammit, Suzaku… it's not like we were _planning_ on leaving you here. I just didn't particularly care if it happened." Lelouch winced again and Suzaku realized his was holding his shoulders tighter than he meant to. He didn't let up. "Anyways, it wasn't _our_ promise, if I recall. It was more _your_ threat."

Suzaku leaned in closer. "Don't think you can just talk your way out of this you manipulative…" Lelouch had reflexively raised his hand to push Suzaku back, but then frowned and patted everywhere he could reach.

"You're _freezing._" He managed to struggle out of Suzaku's hold and smoothed over his cheeks and forehead. "You're like _ice,_ Suzaku, and your clothes are soaked." Suzaku, bemusedly, let him go and Lelouch grabbed his arm. "Come on, at least get in the shower for a moment and into warm clothes. I'll make some tea."

After a shower and change of clothes, Suzaku nursed his cup of tea, staring at Lelouch thoughtfully. "What are you doing?"

"Logistics for the next meeting of the U.F.N. China thinks they should host it, while our E.U. partners would prefer it closer to their continent."

Suzaku rolled his eyes. "I mean with me. What the hell are you trying to pull, Lelouch?"

Lelouch sighed. "Nothing, Suzaku." He looked over at Suzaku's suspicious face and smiled. "And that's what's actually bothering you. I'm not manipulating you or lying to you or trying to trick you. I'm being straight and honest and, frankly, more patient than you deserve. And it's driving you _crazy_."

"Because I don't get _why_."

Lelouch stood up and refilled Suzaku's tea. "If it helps, think of me as being a gracious winner."

"It doesn't help."

Lelouch laughed. "Then think of it this way. I've always wanted you on my side. I've always wanted you _by_ my side. I know things aren't as good as they've been between us and, honestly, I'm not overly enamoured of you either right now. But I know that we can work things out, and I know that we're better together than opposing each other. I want you with Nunnally, I really do. But I also want you with me. And the fact that you chose me, even though it was just because you don't trust me… I really liked that, Suzaku."

"What the hell, is that a love confession?"

"You tell me, Suzaku – I'm not the one who wanted us to sleep together."

Suzaku felt his face colour. "That's not what I meant!"

Lelouch laughed again, confident and sure and genuinely amused. "Sure, sure… just finish your tea and we'll get going."

Suzaku chugged down what lukewarm liquid was left and followed Lelouch to the plane. After they dropped off everyone at Ashford, Lelouch calmly started stripping, reaching for his Zero costume.

Kallen turned her back on both of them. It was the first time that Lelouch had been left in a vulnerable position with him.

He leaned back and closed his eyes, relaxing. He wasn't going to do anything about it, so he'd just ignore it. With Lelouch, that seemed to be the simplest way to go.

"Will C.C. be waiting for us when we get back?" Kallen asked in an oddly subdued tone.

"I expect so," Lelouch answered. "I can't imagine her leaving in the state she was in."

"D'you think she's gotten better?"

Lelouch shook his head, despite the fact that Kallen's back was still turned. "I doubt it. Don't get your hopes up for a miracle, Kallen. They rarely happen on their own." The last was muffled by Zero's mask, making it have more of an impact. Kallen turned around.

"I hate to say it, but I kind of missed that mask."

Zero shrugged. "So did I, to tell the truth."

Suzaku turned away from them both. He hadn't.


	6. Surrounded on All Sides

The moment Suzaku stepped out of the plane and onto the flight deck of the Ikaruga, two things caught his eye.

The first thing was the line of glaring Black Knights, all Japanese, all staring him down.

The second was the Lancelot. He felt a lurch in his chest and realized that, irrationally, he'd _missed_ it these past weeks.

Zero strode confidently through the unfriendly crowd, flanked by Kallen and Jeremiah. "Your frame is waiting for you, Kururugi."

The message was clear; he was unwelcome here, but free to do as he wished.

Suzaku threw one last longing look at the Lancelot and dashed after Lelouch. After everything they'd been through, no silent glares were going to keep Suzaku from doing what he saw as his duty.

…not even the one Kallen threw him. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I told Zero; I'm not letting him out of my sight."

Zero chuckled. "Let him be, Kallen. He'll get bored or distracted soon enough."

Unlikely.

Four more Black Knights fell in behind Suzaku, crowding around him. It was kind of amusing, that they considered him such a threat. "You know, none of you could stop me if I _really_ wanted to do something to your illustrious leader."

Zero stopped in his tracks and whirled around. "That's enough!" Suzaku flinched at the commanding tone before sneering. A finger right in front of his face, _chastising_ him, killed even that sneer. "You are a _guest_ here Kururugi, and a not particularly welcome one at that. I've agreed to your conditions, but you will keep a civil tongue in your mouth. These men and women fought for _your_ country and they deserve at least as much respect as any other veteran."

Suzaku paused to reflect on the oddity of being scolded by his best friend and worst enemy in a mask and cape in front of dozens of Japanese soldiers. "What's my incentive?"

"What?"

"If I'm polite and courteous," Suzaku clarified, "what do _I_ get out of it?"

Zero smirked. Suzaku couldn't see it, but he was sure it was there. "I'll accept any incivility you chose to show me." He paused thoughtfully. "Or C.C."

"Zero…" Kallen sounded almost scandalized. Zero ignored her.

"Fine." Suzaku nodded once. "I'll agree to those terms." He wasn't really peeved at the Black Knights themselves in any case.

Zero knew better than to extend a hand to seal the contract. Instead, he inclined his head and continued along his way, with Suzaku trailing behind.

At least they'd lost most of the entourage. Only Kallen and Jeremiah were with them as Zero unlocked the door to his room.

The moment the door closed behind them, the mask came off and Zero turned into Lelouch. Suzaku opened his mouth, a biting comment or two on the tip of his tongue, when a green and white blur dashed out from one of the rooms.

"Master! You've returned!"

The first thought that Suzaku had was that C.C. had somehow had a child. Who was somehow the same age as her. Only more innocent and almost frighteningly naïve. Her eyes darted towards him and Jeremiah and she gasped softly, hiding in Lelouch's cape.

"Don't worry, C.C." Lelouch's voice was as gentle as it usually was when he calmed Nunnally's fears. "These are two new friends. The one by Kallen is named Jeremiah, and he's very big and strong, isn't he? The other one's name is Suzaku." Lelouch looked up at Suzaku, his violet eyes narrowed with cruel amusement. "And he's a little confused right now. He could use a friend."

C.C. blinked up at him hopefully and Suzaku realized exactly what had just happened. Compared to Jeremiah, Suzaku did look less imposing, and Lelouch had just saddled him with a well-meaning _child_ as a distraction. His previous words about being uncivil to C.C. made perfect sense now; there was no way Suzaku could bring himself to be cruel to this tiny fragile thing that had C.C.'s face, no matter how much he resented her.

"…bastard."

Lelouch just smirked.

Kallen shifted uncomfortably. "Can we go over tomorrow's schedule? It's your first big appearance since the U.F.N. ratification."

"Of course," Lelouch said smoothly, gently coaxing C.C. from her hiding place. "Why don't you and Suzaku-no-niichan play for a while, C.C.?"

God. Damn. Bastard.

Lelouch gestured for Jeremiah and Kallen to follow him as he went into one of the interior rooms and closed the door behind himself, leaving C.C. and Suzaku alone.

C.C. looked up at him, her eyes wide and uncertain, and Suzaku was _sure_ he wasn't showing her a pleasant face. "Um… Master taught me chess…"

Chess. With C.C. Great.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch was still rather amused as he took his seat. Kallen rolled her eyes at him.

"I can't believe you used C.C.-chan for that."

"Why not? It's not like she has any other use right now," Lelouch countered. "Besides, Suzaku may look scary, but the day he's able to bully a small girl is the day I take up running laps. As a hobby."

Kallen snickered.

"Just a thought, Your Highness…"

"Go ahead, Jeremiah."

"I was wondering how Kururugi's insistence on following you everywhere would impact tomorrow's scheduled appearance."

Lelouch sighed. "Good point. Having Suzaku up there will look like I either feel I need his protection or that I've brought the former Knight of Seven into my confidence. Neither of which are messages I'd like to send."

Kallen shrugged. "Have him wear a Black Knight uniform."

"He's still readily recognizable, and it would still give him the opportunity to do something idiotic publicly." Lelouch shook his head. "No, we're going to have to ensure that Suzaku Kururugi doesn't get on stage tomorrow."

"…how?"

"Simple. He doesn't want to follow Zero around, he wants to follow me."

There was a moment of silence, then Kallen snorted. "You're going to put _another_ Zero up there to deliver your stirring speech?" Lelouch just nodded. "But who?"

Lelouch smirked. "Well… we're rather running out of people my height who know I'm Zero…" he trailed off significantly and Kallen's eyes doubled in size.

"_Me_?"

Lelouch laughed. "Maybe. It's a thought." He smiled fondly at Kallen's red face; she was so excitable… "I'll have to talk with Suzaku before I make any further decisions on that, but you should be prepared if needed."

"R-right." Pallor had replaced Kallen's flush as she genuinely considered what presenting herself as Zero would entail.

"Don't worry." Lelouch patted her arm gently. "It's really a worst-case scenario. I'd prefer to do it myself, although _without_ my new shadow."

Kallen set her jaw, clearly irritated that she'd looked so bad that _Lelouch_, the eternally mocking and deriding Lelouch, had felt the need to comfort her. "It's fine. Whatever you need, Zero." She looked away as Lelouch's smile softened, not wanting to face that.

"Far be it for me to criticize, Your Highness, but _why_ precisely is Kururugi being permitted to shadow you?" Jeremiah was carefully respectful and curious, but he was clearly genuinely confused on that point.

Lelouch turned his attention from Kallen, letting her recover. "He delivered an ultimatum – either he would stay by my side to make sure that I didn't step out of some arbitrary line he's drawn, or he'd try to have me killed. I figured that this was simpler."

"Again, with respect, one would think that ridding yourself of the threat permanently would be the simplest solution, Your Highness."

"No one is killing Suzaku." Lelouch's tone was firm.

Kallen, having recovered, put in her two cents. "Why not?" Lelouch shot her a mild glare. "Seriously. I get that you have history with the guy, but… he's not as important as the Black Knights. He's not as important as your safety. He's already _done_ some of the things he's threatened to do, so he really is dangerous! That _geass_ is off, why don't we just put a bullet in his head and stop having to worry about him or tiptoe around his sensibilities?"

"No one," Lelouch stated clearly, "is killing Suzaku." His eyes narrowed. "Not unless the order comes _directly_ from me, are we clear this time, Kallen?"

Kallen flushed, but it was in anger this time. "It was a reasonable order. He was a knight, I was uniquely positioned to take him out."

"Not this time." Lelouch stood and used his height to his advantage. "Keep your blade to yourself." He gave a half shrug, relaxing somewhat. "Your temper, of course, you may wield to your heart's content." She would anyway.

In the end, Lelouch thought that was a rather successful meeting; Kallen was upset, Jeremiah was anxious, and he was wondering what the hell he was doing. And why. And for whom.

No one was happy, but everyone would follow his orders. Good meeting.

The sight of Suzaku playing chess with C.C. (and losing, although it was too early to tell for sure) made up for it. "You're still too offensive, Suzaku." Suzaku looked up, a sullen glare already on his face. "In chess strategy, I mean."

The glare didn't go away. "How was your meeting?"

Lelouch refused to rise to the bait. "Good." Kallen snorted softly and Suzaku's glare turned into a smirk. "Well. I got what I wanted, which means it went well for me." Lelouch shrugged. "Actually, if I can drag you away from that scintillating game, I'd like to talk with you about that and… other things."

Suzaku looked surprised and Lelouch was gratified that he could at least keep him off guard. He looked like he was going to agree, before shooting a guilty look at C.C. "…can it wait until after the game?"

"The game's over," Lelouch lied. "Mate in nine moves." …probably not. Lelouch could have pulled it off easily enough, but even the usual C.C. wasn't nearly that good.

It said something that Suzaku didn't even bother looking back at the board before sighing. "Good game, C.C." Clearly Suzaku trusted Lelouch about _chess_ at least, even if that was it.

And even if Lelouch had been pretty much lying. He almost felt bad about that before refusing to. He cocked his head towards his bedroom, reminding himself to set something up for Suzaku before they went to sleep. Normally, the couch would be good enough, but Lelouch didn't want him to have any excuse to sleep with him. It was bad enough that he'd see Lelouch and C.C. sleeping in the same room. Although joining them _would_ reduce the risk of misunderstandings.

Lelouch tried to convince himself that he didn't care what Suzaku thought about him. Certainly not regarding C.C.

Speaking of, the moment Lelouch closed the door, Suzaku was on him.

"What the _hell_ happened to her?"

"She's reverted to a pre-_geass_ state," Lelouch explained tiredly. He'd already gone through this with Kallen (who'd been pretty pissed that he was still sleeping with C.C. in this defenceless state) and only Rolo seemed to understand. At least as well as Lelouch understood it. "This is who she was before she was C.C."

Suzaku backed off. "Unsurprisingly enough, I like her better this way."

"Ingénues _are_ to your taste, aren't they?" Lelouch held up a hand before Suzaku could retort. "I apologize, that was out of line. C.C.'s situation is one that I am… displeased with."

"You're blaming yourself, aren't you?"

Lelouch was surprised at the gentle understanding tone. He thought he'd never hear that from Suzaku again "I… it _was_ my fault. I hesitated at the wrong moment, then demanded that she cover for me." Lelouch looked away, his fists clenching. "My father almost…"

Suzaku frowned. "Your father?"

"It's a long story." Lelouch sighed and sat down on the bed. "How much of the mythical mumbo-jumbo do you want to hear?"

Suzaku sat next to him. "As little as possible."

Lelouch nodded. "I confronted my father in a strange other world and tried to kill him, but he'd become immortal. He, in turn, tried to kill C.C., and she would have let him because that's what she wanted from me and I wasn't willing to go through with it. I tried to stop it and then something happened and C.C. and I managed to escape the world as it fell apart, trapping my father behind. After we were out, however, she'd lost all her memories of anything that happened in her life as a _geass_ holder. As you can probably tell, she was something of a servant, desperate for approval and affection and willing to do anything to get it."

"…anything?"

Lelouch glared. "She's probably about a thousand years old, and mentally a child. I'd hope you'd think better of me than _that_."

Suzaku shrugged. "You were the one with the ingénue comment."

"I hate it," Lelouch burst out suddenly, standing and pacing, full of useless energy. "I mean… she wasn't exactly generally _useful_, but she was… she was what she was. She was the one person I never needed to protect, the person I could save if I felt like it but who didn't need it. She was an _ally_. Now she's a child, with fewer defence mechanisms than Nunnally, and for the first time I feel like I'm doing this alone."

There was a long moment of silence before Suzaku spoke. "Yeah. 'Cause this is all about _you_." Lelouch glared. "No, seriously. Your ally and friend just lost most of her life and you're whining about how alone you feel? That's bullshit! Why the hell aren't you focused on helping her? Or the least you could do is try to make her happy until she can get better. But no, it's always about you and your needs and…" Suzaku's eyes widened. "Is that why you agreed to this? Am I her _replacement_?"

"No!" Lelouch burst out, both defensive and irritated. "You and C.C. could never replace each other. And you think I haven't tried to help her? Nothing works! And I can hardly send her to a doctor without risking someone taking her for research like Clovis did!" It wasn't as if he didn't want C.C. back. He did. But she'd been damaged helping Lelouch escape from his father and there was nothing Lelouch could do. The one time that C.C. truly needed him and Lelouch was helpless. _Clueless_, even.

Suzaku seemed to get that; to understand that this wasn't simply a matter of lost resources, but tangible proof of Lelouch's fallibility, of something that he couldn't fix. Another Euphy, one who shared Lelouch's life. His face softened to something like pity, before hardening again.

"Then what good are you, with all your powers, if you can't even make your own wishes come true?"

Lelouch would have snapped back, if it hadn't been for that moment of understanding. "They're not for that. Suzaku…" He reached out for his former friend, trying to make him see. "Suzaku, none of this is for me. It's for Nunnally and Kallen and Kaguya, and Japan and you, but… the only thing I want is the knowledge of who killed my mother. And then revenge. Everything else; the Black Knights, the U.F.N., every stupid battle we fought in… the most selfish thing I used my _geass_ for was to stop you from dying." Lelouch stepped forward, his hand still outstretched. "That was _my_ wish, for you. Everything else has been for someone else's sake."

"…and Euphy?"

At Suzaku's hard tone, Lelouch dropped his hand. "Wrong place, wrong time, wrong sister. If I'd gunned down Cornelia, Britannia would have rallied and Japan might have fallen. But you wouldn't have betrayed me, and I wouldn't have had to face my father like that and I would have rebuilt." Lelouch shrugged, turning away. "I've found that the only times I've been defeated I can blame it either on my own misjudgements, or the fact that you're on the other side."

"How flattering." Suzaku looked… disgruntled. Like he'd missed a target he was aiming for. "I'm so glad you think so highly of me."

Lelouch shot him a disgusted look. "What do you want me to say, Suzaku?"

"The truth." Suzaku sighed and shook his head. "But I know better then to ask for it." He finally stood, managing to make his stance not intimidating (not that that would have worked on Lelouch in any case). "What else did you want to talk about, Lelouch?"

This wasn't how Lelouch had planned on bringing it up. "I want you to let me present Zero to the world without you visibly present."

Suzaku set his jaw. "You mean, you're already thinking of exceptions to your agreement."

"Damn straight I am," Lelouch retorted. "I have people advising me to have you killed to make my life easier. I'm doing mental gymnastics to find ways to keep my word that won't hurt my work. Once again, I'm having to choose between you and Zero, and I will _always_ choose Zero, Suzaku. You know that."

"Yeah, I do." Suzaku sighed. "I want to be in the wings or backstage or whatever."

"Done."

"And I want a gun."

Lelouch looked at him curiously. "Don't you have one?"

Suzaku snorted. "When would I have gotten one? On the shuttle to Ashford, with Kallen watching me to see if I so much as twitched? At Nunnally's where I was avoiding everyone? From one of your friendly Black Knights?"

Lelouch shrugged. "Point." He opened a drawer and slid a clip into a handgun. "Here." He held the butt out to Suzaku, as casually as he ever passed the salt.

After a moment's hesitation, Suzaku took the gun. Lelouch raised an amused eyebrow.

"Would you have rather I presented it formally?"

"That's not it." Suzaku smiled a little sadly. "I just… when did you become so comfortable with guns?"

All the amusement drained from Lelouch's face. "Don't, Suzaku."

The twisted expression on Suzaku's face didn't change as he cocked the gun and pointed it right at Lelouch. "Hm. Nostalgic."

Lelouch's eyes flickered to the weapon, then back to Suzaku's face "Then we have an agreement?"

Suzaku nodded, not moving the gun. Lelouch hesitated, then slowly moved to the side. Suzaku tracked him. "One question, Lelouch."

"…yes?"

"Why would you, when you're so clearly still afraid of me, hand me a loaded gun just to keep me happy?" His hands were steady, and Lelouch knew from previously reviewing his file that they would remain steady for hours without tiring. "I could shoot you now and escape in the Lancelot before anyone knew I was gone."

Lelouch fixed his gaze on Suzaku, his eyes finally showing the resentful anger that had been boiling within him since Suzaku had first refused to protect Nunnally. "You could. But I've lost count of the number of times you could have killed me over the past two days." He moved forward, his eyes narrowing until the violet of his irises were nearly completely shaded. "But you haven't, and you won't." He reached out and placed a hand over the gun, not trying to take it, just resting his hand there. "You need a justification first."

Suzaku glared. "Let go of my gun."

Lelouch moved closer, his hand sliding over the muzzle, over Suzaku's hand, up his arm. "Don't forget, Suzaku. This gun, like everything else, including your life and your freedom, is nothing more than a gift. From me." He slid past Suzaku and out the door, counting that, barely, as a victory.

And that was despite the way his heart raced, half fear, half excitement. They were as far from allies as it was possible to be, but still… Suzaku was by his side and following his wishes. It was probably as close as he could get.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

This couldn't continue. Suzaku was stronger, faster, overall _better _than Lelouch in almost every way. He wasn't as sneaky, he'd admit that. But here, surrounded by Lelouch's allies and subordinates, he was in too weak a position to fight properly. In fact, given that their only confrontations could be verbal if Suzaku didn't want to either kill Lelouch or end up imprisoned, there was no real way Suzaku could win. Lelouch was the better actor, the better liar, the better faker…

And he was right. Suzaku had nothing that hadn't been given to him by Lelouch. Ever since he'd been captured in China, Suzaku's life had been in Lelouch's hands, and he'd danced to Lelouch's tune. Even insisting that he follow Lelouch rather than staying behind and protecting Nunnally had been integrated into Lelouch's plans for him. For _them_.

It was exhausting, trying to free himself from someone who plotted dozens of steps ahead, through even more scenarios. The only thing Suzaku had going for him on that score was his adaptability and his stubbornness. Lelouch had never been able to go with the flow. Suzaku had always flourished in chaos.

He was just beginning to feel better about his position, when the door opened and C.C. crept in. Suzaku, now that he knew (vaguely) what had happened to her, found himself pitying her. She was just another one of Lelouch's unplanned casualties, just another sacrifice he'd made to his goals, to Zero.

"Master said you wouldn't want supper. Is that true?"

The thought of food turned Suzaku's stomach. "That's true."

C.C. nodded. "Then, if you'd like, I can show you to where you can wash up for bed, and where you'll be sleeping."

She really was servile like this. Suzaku had never really met her before, apart from brief encounters where she protected Zero or taunted him. He'd never known her has anything more than Lelouch's witch. But even he could tell that this was so much less than what she was.

He remembered what happened at the announcement ceremonies for the SAZ. While that day was the source of most of his grief, and hard for him to think on; one moment, the moment when he touched C.C. and they both collapsed, stood out in his memory now. At the time, he'd only thought of it as the moment that led to him being too slow to save Euphemia. But perhaps it was something more, a manifestation of some sort of connection.

Either way, it was worth a try.

He reached out, slowly and carefully, bracing himself for visions or nightmares or simple blackness, and touched C.C.'s shoulder.

Nothing happened.

Maybe it needed to be skin-to-skin. He took off his glove and pressed his bare hand to her cheek.

Nothing.

"Um… sir…?"

Suzaku sighed. It had been a long shot, and he wasn't even really sure why he was disappointed that he was unable to help the woman who'd triggered Lelouch's descent into evil. Maybe it was just that this was a demonstration of his uselessness.

"Why don't you show me the washroom," Suzaku suggested. "I'm rather tired, and I would appreciate getting to bed as soon as possible."

C.C. nodded, smiling with relief. She really did seem to expect and brace herself for abuse at every turn. Suzaku doubted that Lelouch abused her, but… "C.C., where do you sleep?"

"With Master," C.C. answered guilelessly. "It's warm."

"Oh," Suzaku said, clenching his fists. _I'm going to kill him_.

C.C., oblivious to Suzaku's chivalrous rage, cheerfully continued guiding him to the bathroom. It wasn't until Suzaku returned and was getting ready for bed that he realized that he'd lost track of Lelouch.

He sighed and stared at the ceiling. Tomorrow, he decided. He'd start trailing Lelouch and not letting him out of his sight tomorrow.

If he didn't outright kill him first.


	7. Surprises of Varying Degrees

Suzaku had expected crowds, hordes of adoring men, women, and children who knew nothing of the man they lauded other than the fact that their lives might possibly see some mild improvement under his rule. Perhaps.

He'd expected pomp, glamour, the stage set up perfectly to showcase the 'glory' that was Zero.

Instead, it was set on a military base; sparse and drab, with only Kaguya and Xingke (both dressed in muted tones) and a few elite Black Knights (including Kallen) around him. The only colour on the whole field was a red and gold palanquin, carried onto the parade square by four Britannian Knights.

Suzaku's hand was on his gun as he watched Zero offer his hand to help the first princess down from the impressive contraption. She hesitated, obviously with disgust rather than fear, before gingerly taking it. For a moment, she blocked the line of fire between Suzaku and Zero as Zero escorted her towards Kaguya. There were polite bows and fake smiles for a few minutes before Zero left them to take the carefully positioned podium, painstakingly designed to look like it had just been dragged from a supply closet.

The minimalism was as irritating to Suzaku as any glitz would have been, especially given how it contrasted so sharply with Princess Guinevere's relatively restrained glamour. Lelouch was sending a message, one that he clearly felt didn't require subtlety. But it wasn't one that Suzaku had any particular problem with, so he eased his hand away from his gun.

"Hey… whatcha doin'?"

Suzaku wasn't sure what he'd do if Zero said something inflammatory. Zero's words had always been his most potent weapons (well, that and his _geass_) but it wasn't like Suzaku could just shoot him for talking…

"Hey, I'm talking to you!"

Distracted, Suzaku wasn't able to hold back his reflexes as he was grabbed from behind. By the time he realized what he'd done, he had one of the Black Knight officers pinned on the floor and several armed Black Knights looking mightily pissed from behind their guns.

Ah. Suzaku's mind raced as he tried to figure out a way out of this without… waitasec.

"…you look familiar."

Even pinned under Suzaku, the officer visibly puffed up. "I should! I'm Zero's best buddy, after all, Shinichirou Tamaki-sama."

"…you're that guy at Shinjuku. The one beating up those Britannian kids."

Tamaki's eyes narrowed. "Yeah. I called you a Britannian lapdog then, and it still applies."

Suzaku eased off, standing with his hands up. Tamaki was hardly one of Suzaku's fondest memories, but he'd seen him the first day he'd met Euphemia…

As Tamaki stood, brushing himself off, Suzaku braced himself for retaliation. A punch or even an outright beating wouldn't have been surprising. He was the outsider again, and he knew full well from serving in the Britannian Army what sort of treatment outsiders received.

Tamaki glared. "So, lapdog, whatcha doin'?"

…that was it? No physical retaliation, no group intimidation? That was barely even an insult. Suzaku looked at Tamaki warily. "Just watching the speech."

"With your hand on your gun?" Tamaki sounded incredulous. He overdid it a bit, but Suzaku had to admit he had a point.

"Zero and I have a deal," Suzaku said, calmly. "As long as he keeps his end, I'll keep mine."

Tamaki glared at him, and Suzaku expected that the conversation was far from over.

"What is going on here?" Tamaki turned towards the deep voice. Suzaku kept his eyes on the soldiers with their guns pointed at him. "Tamaki, what's the meaning of this?"

Toudou looked much the same as Suzaku remembered, from fighting against him as a Black Knight, to the information posters on him as a suspected leader in the JLF, to the afternoons of training when Suzaku was a boy. He'd aged (it _had_ been eight years, after all) but his severe face and strong figure were the same as ever. Suzaku would have liked to smile and approach him, but. Guns.

Tamaki, meanwhile, had the exact same reaction to Toudou as everyone else Suzaku knew. He stood to attention and stammered. "Sir! This… _guy_ was watchin' Zero and glarin', with his hand on his gun, and he ignored me when I asked what he was doing, so I was interrogating him."

"You missed the part where he tossed you around like a sack of potatoes," one of the Black Knights stage whispered. Tamaki glared at him.

Toudou sighed. Suzaku had the feeling he had to do that a lot in his new position. "Let him go. Zero himself has vouched for him. Are you saying you doubt his judgement?"

"What? No!" Tamaki objected. "I'm just saying he might have been tricked!"

"That's the same thing," Suzaku pointed out. "And I can assure you that of all the things I want to do to Zero, tricking him isn't one of them." He paused. "That sounded less perverted in my head."

As Tamaki sputtered, Suzaku turned back to the proceedings, where Guinevere was saying something about cooperation and trust. And both sounding and looking like she was sucking on a lemon as she forced the words out. Suzaku made a mental note that it seemed that Lelouch hadn't used his _geass_ on her (not important enough?) and that the Britannian heirs were not completely in accord with each other. That could be useful knowledge…

"Suzaku, what are you even looking for?" Toudou asked softly, coming up behind Suzaku. "Zero's been open with his plans. It's not like you can shoot him for talking."

…great minds thinking alike? Or just something so obvious that everyone saw it? "I'm not going to shoot him, but…" But what? Toudou had a point; Lelouch had been as honest about his plans as he was secretive about his identity. They weren't plans that Suzaku agreed with, but they were simple and straightforward enough. Suzaku could have watched the whole thing from the comfort of a couch given how likely he was to act. Still… "I just don't trust him."

Toudou grunted, almost in agreement. "You're not alone there." Suzaku turned around, shocked that any of the Black Knights would speak against their hero leader. "But it doesn't matter. Trust and faith… nationality and race… that's not what Zero's building on. It's results, plain and simple. And as long as he delivers those results, he will maintain his position and his followers."

Suzaku snorted. "No matter how those results are obtained? It doesn't matter if he lies to you to get what he wants?"

"As long as what he wants is what is best for Japan…" Toudou started, then stopped and sighed. "Suzaku. He hides his face behind a mask. He uses a false name. We _know_ we're being lied to, but it's worth it because he makes the reality reflect his words. Even if they're lies now, they become truths through his actions."

Suzaku couldn't help but be disappointed. He'd known that Toudou had followed Zero willingly, but he hadn't thought through the implications that that would mean – that either Toudou was naïvely being fooled, or that he was a willing party to deception for the sake of his goals. Suzaku wasn't sure which one would have been preferable.

He looked away from his old mentor, trying to see Zero through his eyes – a young man, not Japanese, but willing to work with and for the Japanese, charismatic and compelling, a true miracle worker… "Ah, I see…"

"What?"

"He's what you were thought to be," Suzaku said, still gazing idly at Zero as he applauded Guinevere's speech before taking the dais again. "He overshadowed _Kiseki no Toudou_, enough that you could be who you really were – a creative military leader – without having to hand out miracles like cheap party favours. That's his job now. Your job is to back him up." Suzaku shot Toudou an arch look. "Like you backed my father."

Toudou snorted. "It's similar, yes. They both lead with confidence and refuse to listen to detractors. But where your father refused to consider the full consequences of his decisions, Zero has already planned through the worst-case scenarios."

"Did he?" Suzaku asked rhetorically. "Was the SAZ massacre part of his plans?"

Toudou shifted restlessly. "Suzaku…" He trailed off uncertainly, and before he could try again, the static of signal interference drew both their attention, with Zero's, to the large screens that were supposed to reflect Zero and Guinevere's new cooperative agreement.

Instead, Suzaku saw a face he'd never expected to see again.

"Hear me, Zero!"

Charles zi Britannia, alive and as strong as ever, sneered over the parade square from four different screens. Suzaku could hear the panic behind him as techs scrambled to fix or trace the signal. He didn't turn around though, barely managing to tear his eyes away from the huge face of Japan's conqueror and Lelouch's father to find Zero, staring up at the screens as much as anyone else; frozen, no doubt, in the same horror that gripped the rest of the Black Knights.

_Well, now,_ Suzaku thought smugly. _This is what happens when you lie, even to yourself_.

He couldn't keep that attitude up for long, though, distracted and unnerved by Charles's next words.

"Zero, you thought this foolishness would surprise me? Turning my own children against me in a bid for a false peace. This will not stand! Britannia remains separate from the rest of the pitiful dirt your Federation has gathered together. Gather your allies and your forces as you will; Britannia will stand against this forced equality and stand victorious! You've simply made it so that in the end, whoever succeeds in this battle shall gain control of the entire world." The screen pulled back, showing Odysseus in prisoner's garb. Guinevere's gasp echoed audibly over the parade square. "Very well. Have at me, Zero. I'm ready. So will you win it all now, Zero, or will you lose everything? Time to learn the gambles of war. All hail Britannia!"

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

A disaster. A perfectly timed disaster, courtesy of his father _damn him_!

C.C. squeaked as Lelouch flung his mask on the couch in a rage. "He was supposed to be _dead_!"

He could vaguely hear Kallen and Suzaku open and close the door behind him. Lelouch whirled around before Suzaku could say something stupid. "I don't want to hear it, Suzaku."

"Is Nunnally in danger?"

Lelouch blinked. Suzaku's gaze was steady, his eyes meeting Lelouch's without a hint of fear or intimidation. He was every inch a soldier, and every inch ready for Lelouch's orders. There was nothing in his firm stance that was aggressive or argumentative. For a moment, Lelouch allowed himself to bask in the glow of what _should _have been.

Then he shook it off. "Of course she is. That man knows who I am and what my weaknesses are. And he cares nothing for his children." He'd proved that by imprisoning Odysseus and essentially declaring war while Guinevere had been surrounded by Black Knights. If Toudou and Suzaku hadn't taken control of the situation, she and her guards might have been killed immediately in retaliation.

"I'll go," Suzaku offered. He hesitated, then stepped forward. "Lelouch, I don't want anything to happen to her either."

Lelouch shook his head. "No, if you leave now you'll lead him right to her. She's hidden, and no one at the palace knows where." He'd been careful to keep his brothers out of this, and the only people who knew the coordinates of the isolated island were him, Kallen, Jeremiah, and Rolo.

_Rolo_. If he could get a message to Rolo… "The Tristan was based off the Lancelot, right?"

Suzaku looked surprised by the change of subject. "N-no, not really. They were more designed in parallel…"

Lelouch waved that off. "But the communication devices. They'd be similar?" Suzaku nodded. "I'll talk with Asplund, then. Weinberg and Rolo will have to do for protection for now." He bit his lip. "Cornelia's useless, even if he gave a damn about her she knows too much to just hand over. He hasn't announced my identity, so he's not likely to unless pressed into it…"

"Lelouch, calm down!" Kallen was holding C.C.'s hand, the child-witch staring at him with huge eyes, trembling. Lelouch sighed.

"I'm sorry. I just… I'm sorry." He ran his hand through his hair. "Can you just get her out of… never mind, I'll go." He grabbed Zero's mask and put it back on as he stormed out of the room. Suzaku hesitated before hurrying after him.

Lelouch's stride was long, but Suzaku caught up with him easily. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to use an amplified signal to get to a message the Tristan on a Rounds frequency."

"…there are more Rounds than just me and Gino. It might alert them."

"That doesn't matter," Lelouch said. "The message will have to be sent scattered and in code for Rolo. It'll pinpoint our location, but they already know that."

Suzaku nodded that made sense. "What are you going to do after that?"

"After that?" Lelouch shrugged. "It depends on what the U.F.N. wants. The main priority is to keep Japan free; that's where I've shown my emotional investment and that's what he'll try to take from me."

"What?" Suzaku grabbed Lelouch's arm. "You're not seriously going to sacrifice Japan as a distraction."

There was a moment of silence. "You know me well, Suzaku. But no." Lelouch shook his hand off. "I'm not giving in an inch to that man, not even if it's in my best interests." He meant that. His father had taken away his mother, his family, his freedom, and had tried to take away his memories and his sister. Lelouch wasn't giving him a single damn thing more.

Suzaku stopped. "You can't possibly win that way."

"_Watch me_," Lelouch snarled, the heated words given even more depth and rage by the resonance of the mask.

"Zero!" A young Black Knight rushed up to them, saluting Zero. "Sir. Kaguya-dono and the U.F.N. high council wish to speak with you in conference."

Lelouch shook his head. He didn't have time for this. "I'll be there in a minute."

"But… it's the U.F.N."

"They can wait." Lelouch stormed into the hanger, searching out Lloyd. He had to protect Nunnally!

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Suzaku waited outside the meeting room after the council refused to speak in front of him. Lelouch was radiating a cold fury, one that Suzaku recognized as different from the quick hot rage that spurred most of their squabbles. After ensuring Nunnally's safety, Lelouch had just turned off and Zero had turned on. Suzaku hadn't even fought to be allowed into the discussion room, willing to let this pass without an argument.

He stood outside with two Black Knights, both of whom mostly ignored him except for shooting occasional glances at him out of the corner of their eyes. He glanced back at the firmly closed door and tried to figure out what the hell he was supposed to do now.

The Emperor had returned. Technically, that meant that Suzaku's oath to him was still in effect, and it was his duty to escape and return to his side. But that would he harder than Suzaku's apparent freedom made it seem. For one thing, once Lelouch got over the shock and reactive fear that his father's re-emergence had caused him, he'd be watching Suzaku for betrayal like a hawk. For another, he was only apparently free. The Black Knights, especially those close to Lelouch, were incredibly suspicious of him and the strange hold he seemed to have on their leader.

Also, there was Lloyd and Cecile and the Lancelot to consider. While it would be next to impossible to escape with them, leaving them behind would make them prime targets for a backlash.

Once again, Suzaku found himself trapped; outmanoeuvred by both Lelouch's and his own machinations. If he'd stayed with Nunnally, then he'd probably never have found out about the Emperor's return and could have protected her in his ignorance without knowingly betraying his oath. If he'd rejoined Prince Odysseus in Pendragon and offered his services as a Knight of Rounds, he'd be in a position to return to the Emperor's service with perhaps some regret, but that was nothing new.

But here, in Lelouch's stronghold, surrounded by people who hated and mistrusted him…

"Kururugi."

The sound of Zero's voice, irritated and clipped, brought Suzaku's racing thoughts to a halt. "Y-yes?"

"Come. The U.F.N. council would like to speak with you."

Suzaku entered the room, impressed at the set-up of circular screens and the numerous heads of state that populated those screens. Suzaku recognized perhaps three of them, one of them being, of course, Kaguya.

She was the one who spoke, without any preamble. "The High Council would ask you, Kururugi Suzaku, to swear an oath that your loyalty will remain to the United Federation of Nations, the imprisoned and peace-loving Prince Odysseus, and Zero."

…his loyalty had never been to _any_ of those. Suzaku had sworn oaths to Britannia, Princess Euphemia, the Emperor…

And before that, to his father, to Japan, to Lelouch and to Nunnally…

There was no way to reconcile all the oaths Suzaku had sworn in his short life. And he'd already broken his promises to Lelouch over and over, and had Lelouch's promises to him broken as many times. In the end, Suzaku couldn't do it. He couldn't stand in front of his cousin, in front of Lelouch, and make an oath he _intended_ to break.

"I cannot promise that, Lady Kaguya."

The rumbling of indignant voices, mostly old men, made Suzaku's hair stand on end, but he didn't budge from his position, staring Kaguya down.

Zero interrupted their grumbles. "I did warn you that this was likely." Everyone quieted down as Zero spoke, his presence easily overriding theirs.

"If nothing else, I appreciate Kururugi's honesty today. Asking for this oath was tantamount to asking for a lie." A sharp gesture and the two guards with Suzaku clamped his hands behind his back. Suzaku never struggled. "He will be treated well, but I will not risk him returning to Britannia to fight against us."

"Very well, Zero," one of the old men replied. "Your reasoning was sound. Still, we have the Lancelot in our hands?"

Zero nodded. "Toudou and the four swords will each attempt to pilot it as soon as possible. We will find a way to use it ourselves, against the nation whose greed and intolerance led to its creation."

This time the murmurs were appreciative.

Suzaku was led off by the two men, but not back to his cell. Instead, he was placed in a private room, with his restraints removed, and left alone.

…that was odd. Suzaku sat down on the bed, not really wanting to escape if escape meant having to choose between fighting against Lelouch and betraying his oaths to the Empire. Frankly, having the choice taken out of his hands was a nice change.

A week ago, it might have been different. But after everything he'd learned, after watching Lelouch and Nunnally together, after seeing the way Lelouch fretted over C.C. and tried to compromise his way out of situations rather than manipulate or command…

After _almost _finding out what had happened with Euphemia… Suzaku couldn't get up the energy to hate Lelouch anymore. He still resented the heck out of him, and he was far from convinced that Lelouch's plan was the right one or the best one. But he couldn't simply hate him anymore. It took too much effort.

Suzaku wasn't really surprised when the door opened and Zero walked in. "Hey."

Lelouch tore off the mask and _glared_. "What were you thinking?"

"That I'd rather be in prison then repeat the same futile crap over and over again."

"Oh." To Suzaku's surprise, that made Lelouch laugh, an amused if slightly bitter laugh. "You do have a point." He sat down beside Suzaku "Suzaku… can I ask you for something?"

Suzaku thought about it. "You can ask."

Lelouch smiled, with a clear tinge of regret and self-mockery. "Fair enough. Please return to Britannia."

"…what?"

Lelouch shifted uncomfortably. "Take the Lancelot and go. It should be fully prepped and there's a Britannian base not far from here – the coordinates are already locked into the Lancelot's systems." Suzaku stared at him without answering. "I promise, no one will be punished for allowing you to escape."

Suzaku shook off his daze. "Lelouch… you're asking me to fight you again?"

"No, I… I don't want that, obviously," Lelouch snapped. "But right now…" He took a deep breath. "If I win, Suzaku, there will be dozens of people in position to care for Nunnally, even if I fall. If my father wins, however, she'll be left alone. Without anyone who cares for her as anything but a pawn or a burden. But if you're there, even just as a Knight of Rounds, she'll have _someone_." Lelouch impulsively reached over and grabbed Suzaku's hand. "Someone almost like family."

"Lelouch…"

"_Please_. I'll do anything you want in return, Suzaku. Just make sure Nunnally has a safe refuge, no matter what."

Suzaku placed his hand over Lelouch's. And lifted it from its grip on his hand. "You're not telling me everything."

Lelouch looked away. "I'd have to replace your _geass_."

"Why?"

"So that my father doesn't know that I have or have used Jeremiah's _geass_ canceller."

Suzaku snorted and shook his head. "You're asking a lot."

"…I know."

"I'll do it." Lelouch looked up in surprised joy. "If you'll give me something in return."

"What?"

"The truth. The _complete_ truth about what happened to Euphy that day."

Lelouch looked down. "You know what happened."

Suzaku grabbed Lelouch's shoulders, forcing him to face him. "The _complete_ truth, Lelouch. No more half-lies and omissions. Tell me exactly what happened."

Lelouch met Suzaku's eyes and nodded. "Alright. Just… give me a minute. It's not something I enjoy revisiting."

Frankly, Suzaku couldn't care less if Lelouch enjoyed this. It had been preying on his mind for nearly a year; unanswered questions, half-informed guesses, lies told again and again…

"I planned to have her shoot me. Basically, the idea was to discredit her and force her to return to Pendragon while elevating Zero to a messiah." Lelouch swallowed. "But she talked me out of it."

"How?"

Lelouch laughed brokenly. "You know Euphy. The whole self-sacrifice thing, the naïve hope for the future, that persistent drive for peace and understanding." Lelouch sighed. "She talked me into it, Suzaku." Suzaku snorted again, this time in disbelief. "No, really. I was planning on joining her silly little plan, and… it could have worked. That's why I opposed it so vehemently – it _could_ have worked!"

"Then why did you…"

"It was an accident." Lelouch made a face. "God, hearing that it sounds like such a pitiful excuse, but… it really was. She didn't die for some grand scheme of mine, or because I was evil. She died because I talk too much and say stupid things and my _geass_ wasn't stable."

That was more or less what Suzaku and assumed. "Why didn't you stop her, then?"

"I didn't really believe it was happening until after it started." Lelouch shuddered and looked away again. "She looked so pained at first, until the _geass_ took hold, but then… Suzaku, she looked so joyful, killing people with the prettiest smile on her face."

Suzaku nodded. "Your _geass_ makes it feel good, you know. To obey it."

Lelouch wrapped his arms around himself. "Something she would have hated, so much, bringing her such innocent joy…"

"Do you want me to forgive you?"

Lelouch's head snapped up, his expression one of horrified disbelief.

Suzaku nodded gravely. "Good. Because I won't. It's not my place. But I'll accept your _geass_ again, and return to your father's side as you wished, and Nunnally will always have someone to protect her, just as you wanted. That's gonna have to be good enough."

"Suzaku…" Lelouch nodded. "Thank you." He tilted Suzaku's chin up and Suzaku took a deep breath as he saw Lelouch's lips form the first syllable of his order.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"_Live_."

Lelouch watched as his _geass_ flowed through Suzaku, freezing him in place as it rewrote his mind and will. It was only a moment, a few seconds at most, but Lelouch couldn't help himself, taking advantage of Suzaku's insensibility to wrap his arms around his (friend? former friend?) in a tight embrace.

"I _am_ sorry," he whispered into Suzaku's neck. "And so grateful."

He pulled away before the _geass_ was done, standing from the bed as Suzaku blinked his way back to consciousness. "It's done?"

"It's done," Lelouch affirmed. "Here." He handed Suzaku the Lancelot's key. "Just give me a second…" He put on his mask, bracing himself.

Suzaku didn't need anything more than that. He reached out and Lelouch felt a sharp pain, then nothing until a Black Knight he didn't recognize was calling his name in a panic.

He groaned and sat up. His head was _pounding_. "What?"

"Sir, Zero sir!" The man sounded incredibly relieved. "Kururugi has escaped, with the Lancelot, apparently somehow overcoming you!"

…_somehow_? An unconscious Suzaku could probably physically beat him. "Yes. He must have been incredibly fortunate to catch me with my guard down." Lelouch paused. "Has he been recovered yet?"

"No sir! Kouzuki has gone after him, but the Guren was in the middle of repairs and…"

Lelouch had planned it that way. She was going to be _so pissed_. "So he's gone."

"Yes sir."

_Good_. "Alright. Well, I'll report this to the U.F.N. right away." After popping some pills for this damned headache.

Stupid Suzaku. Safe under the camouflage of his mask, Lelouch smiled.

Stupid, wonderful, Suzaku.


	8. Doing Battle

"He'll attack Japan."

Xingke frowned. "Why there? Why not Burkina Faso, where we're militarily weakest and surrounded by Britannian Areas?"

Lelouch leaned back, not willing to answer that.

"Because he's not fighting a war to gain territory. He's made it a war of one man to another." Toudou looked gravely at Zero. "He's fighting Zero." And that was why Lelouch hadn't answered – it sounded too egotistical, even for him.

"It just doesn't make sense…" Xingke maintained. "It's a foolish risk – we'd have the advantage if he attacked, with China so close and most of the Britannian Areas so far away."

"He'll initially launch from the Eastern Russian territories," _Area 16_, Lelouch remembered, "but the majority of the armed forces will come from Britannia herself. Expect the Knights of the Round to attend." Xingke still didn't look convinced. Lelouch sighed. "Schneizel placed his own king in check to see what I'd do. Hubris and curiosity are the mainstays of the best and brightest of the Britannian Royal family. It's how they kept winning, and it's how I keep beating them in return."

"…speaking of hubris…"

"The most likely initial launch point is Magadan through the sea of Okhostk. If they travel along the coast it would be easy enough to surround them with the Black Knights stationed at Sapporo in Hokkaido and those at Vladivostok in the northern Chinese territories," Toudou interrupted Xingke's irritated muttering. "So it's unlikely that they'll do that."

Lelouch nodded. It helped that Britannian was attacking now and not when the U.F.N. was brand new – they were more prepared than they might have been otherwise. "They might launch straight from Kamchatsky and travel over the open ocean." He shrugged and flipped screens. "But, either way, despite the north being the most likely first target, it's not going to be the main one. As long as we have enough forces in Hokkaido to maintain a viable defence, we're safe there." He brought up a map of southern Japan. "The Emperor's main targets will be somewhere down here; Kagoshima or Miyazaki." Because his true target was even further south; Kamine island and the thought elevator hidden there.

"The Kagoshima coast is fairly heavily fortified. It will be easy enough to defend," Toudou suggested.

Lelouch shook his head. "At first, perhaps, but count on the Rounds showing up. I've already planned for Kagoshima to fall, as a stepping stone to our complete victory."

"How?"

"Booby traps," Lelouch said succinctly. "Basically, the plan is to hold them off as long as possible with the current forces, then fall back. Once they take Kagoshima, the main body of Black Knights will attack, lead by Xingku." He inclined his head towards the older man. "How would you like to face off against a Knight of the Round?"

Xingke's grin spoke for itself.

"Toudou will command the troops in Tokyo, as that's likely to be a major target as well. Once the main Britannian force is located, both forces will meet them head-on. My personal squad will be positioned, under my command, in Tokyo as well." Kallen, furious at failing to recover Suzaku after his escape, was more than eager to prove herself in a proper battle again. It had been a long time since they'd engaged in simple combat and she was chomping at the bit. Lelouch, rather than explaining Suzaku's true purpose, had simply agreed to all her demands. Jeremiah, of course, was as agreeable as always, accepting Lelouch's instructions to join Xingke's fleet. It might have been paranoia, but Lelouch was noticing more resistance from his commanders since his father's reappearance.

"Will the cyborg be joining your forces in Tokyo?" …just like that. It wasn't the questioning itself; Lelouch was used to that now that Toudou and especially Xingke were his advisors as opposed to Ougi. It was the significant look Xingke shot Toudou as he asked and the way Toudou turned to Zero with an expectant look. Lelouch wasn't really enjoying their not-so-subtle alliance.

He stood. "_Gottwald_ will be accompanying Xingke to Kagoshima. He's under orders to remain there even if the battle moves to Tokyo." He knew about Kamine island, and might be able to access the thought elevator through the experiments the _Geass_ Order put him through. "Is there a problem with that?"

Some of his irritation must have gotten through. "Not at all, Zero."

"Very well. Have your time estimates ready for me in the morning."

Lelouch left, frustrated but at least feeling like he was making some sort of progress. It had been just over a day since his father's announcement, almost a day exactly since Suzaku had left, and Lelouch could see the path ahead of him.

It didn't look easy or simple, but at least it was a path.

He opened the door to his room and set eyes on the one thing in his life whose solution wasn't on that path.

"Welcome back, master! I made your bed and, um… that's it, really."

Lelouch sighed, tossing his mask on the couch and grabbing a slice of pizza. He hadn't eaten at all since Suzaku…

He shook his head. There was no reason at all for that to have affected him. He was just too busy. And worried; Rolo had likely received Lelouch's instructions via Gino, but there was no way he could answer back without alerting Britannia of Nunnally's location. Lelouch would just have to trust him.

"Master? You look…"

"It's nothing." Lelouch downed another slice, feeling uncomfortably full, but knowing that his body needed the fuel. "I'm just tired. I'll go to bed after one last thing."

He headed to the communication room, strapping on a voice changer (to sound like a little girl, amusingly enough) and called the hanger.

"Lloyd here, Knightmare repair! You smash 'em, I… smash 'em up differently! How can I help you?"

"Earl Asplund. Did you get the message with the directions?"

Lloyd's tone changed completely. "I did, little missy. And I can't help but be curious, it's in my nature, you know… why are you trying to help me and my assistant escape?"

"Sir Kururugi was very… generous to me." That was true enough, even if it sounded disturbingly suggestive in this high-pitched voice.

Lloyd made a soft sound of disbelief. Lelouch racked his brain. "Also, Rakshata-sama wants you gone."

"Ahahaha!" Lloyd's laugh was a little too manic to be genuine. "That makes sense. She never could take competition well. Ah well, no matter what I do want to be with my Lancelot again. And it's not like trying to escape will worsen my position here even if I get caught!"

Lelouch didn't care. "Is the plan in order then? Can you pilot your way out?"

"Not even to save my life!" Lloyd admitted cheerfully. "But Cecile can."

"Great. Be ready to move when Britannia attacks. Good luck, My Lord."

"Thanks! Back at you, strange little girl!"

Lelouch broke the connection with a sigh and a bit of a smile. He could see why Suzaku always spoke of his boss with fond exasperation.

A quick glance at the time told Lelouch that he had a full six hours before he had to be up again. He took a brief moment to thank fate or whatever that he had Xingke and Toudou to worry about the minutia of battle strategy and tactics while he could dwell on the bigger picture.

Xingke was right, of course. Britannia wouldn't just attack Japan. He'd sent out a warning to all forces in countries that bordered an Area that they'd likely be attacked along that border, and orders to defend conservatively. If Japan fell, they were to go all out. If the Black Knights were victorious in Japan, they could expect a reprieve of their own.

But Japan would be the focus. He was certain of that. It was where everything had started, and it was where everything would end. And the only inroads the Britannian military would make into Japan would be enough to swallow them whole. Lelouch wasn't losing a single damn thing to that man. Not again.

He took a deep breath and let out as much of the boiling rage that still festered inside him out as he could. Six hours of sleep was more than he usually got, but he'd need every hour once Britannia attacked.

The sight of C.C., curled up in the middle of the bed and scooting over as soon as Lelouch entered, made him smile. A bedwarmer – in the literal sense. He wondered if she'd ever had to be a figurative bedwarmer in the past as well, but she never indicated that she expected him to do anything other than sleep with her, which was reassuring.

The bed_ was _warm, especially where his back and C.C.'s touched. Lelouch wanted to say something reassuring, something strong, but he was asleep before he could form the words.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

After finally passing the security clearance, Suzaku was led to the Emperor, flanked by two guards.

He knelt at the foot of the throne, amazed at how much disgust he felt for this man. While serving him, Suzaku had managed to sublimate that loathing, replacing it with his hatred of Lelouch. But now that that was gone, all the contempt he had previously felt for the man who instituted policies that amounted to slavery and torture, who abandoned and betrayed his own children was back with a vengeance.

"Suzaku Kururugi, Knight of Seven. You've come crawling back."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Suzaku bowed lower, swallowing his bile.

"In your time with Zero, what did you discover?"

Lelouch hadn't covered this. "More or less what we would have found out weeks or months ago if Rolo hadn't turned on us, Your Majesty."

Charles chuckled. "You needn't feel any shame, Sir Kururugi. Better men then you have been fooled by my son." He stood. "Rise and walk with me."

The gardens were lovely. "Sir Kururugi, you are one of the very few people aware of _geass_ and its implications now that my wayward son has destroyed the _Geass_ Order."

Suzaku started. Lelouch had done _what_? To _what_? This was the first he'd heard of it.

"Of the remaining people privileged with this information, you are the only one who has the capacity to accept a _geass_."

…Suzaku did _not_ like the way this was going.

"Given that you were in my son's care for a fairly extended period of time, and given the nature of his _geass_, however, I will need to ensure your continued loyalty."

"Anything Your Majesty desires would be–" Suzaku was cut off by the sudden activation of his _geass_, a flash of movement and the sound of a gunshot echoing through the air the only indications of _why_ as Suzaku found himself suddenly behind cover, cursing the fact that he was unarmed.

The sight of the Emperor, standing casually exposed in the middle of the path should have indicated something, but Suzaku was being driven by _geass_ and didn't have the attention to spare to anything other than the clearly murderous intent of the three men rushing at him.

When Lelouch had first placed the original _geass_ on him, Suzaku had blanked out every time it activated. In time, accepting its presence and its inevitability, Suzaku had managed to use it, wielding it along with his own will during particularly difficult battles.

This _geass_, perhaps because it was the same as the old one, was immediately useable, allowing Suzaku to choose to attack the assassin closest to the Emperor, to watch as he man fell under a quick flurry of blows, his unconscious body used as a shield as Suzaku wrested his gun away.

The other two men split up, ignoring the Emperor completely as they shot through their comrade to get at Suzaku. They were wearing military issues body armour, an impressive design with only a few weak points.

Both men fell within instants of each other; one shot through the neck, the other through the vulnerable shoulder joint.

"Your Majesty, are you injured?" Suzaku turned to the Emperor, cutting off a small sound of shock as the large man grabbed his chin and stared critically into his eyes. Suzaku was pretty sure they were still red-rimmed, as he could still feel the euphoria of the _geass_ racing through him. The Emperor released him, satisfied.

"He didn't bother altering you." Charles shook his head. "Perhaps I overestimated your importance to him."

Suzaku stared at him. "Your Majesty… I don't understand."

"It hardly matters." Charles stepped back, allowing Suzaku room to stand. "What's important is your role in the upcoming battle."

Suzaku bowed. "The Lancelot and I are ready for your orders, Your Majesty."

Charles laughed. "Oh, no… you are far too valuable for that, Knight of Seven. You've been upgraded from cannon-fodder to tool."

Suzaku grit his teeth. "How then may I best serve you?"

"By taking on a _geass_." Suzaku looked up, shocked. "I have made arrangements for C.C. to join us at Kamine island, with one of her contractors. Unfortunately, another contractor may be needed, one for each _code_." Charles eyed Suzaku. "You are currently the only possible carrier at hand for my _code_."

"You want me to…" Suzaku forgot himself, staring at the Emperor in horror. _Geass_, the thing that had led to Lelouch becoming the way he was, that had led to Euphemia's death, that had driven the Britannian expansion… That cruel and evil thing that corrupted as surely as any absolute power…

"It is your duty, not just to Britannia, but to the world."

Suzaku shook his head. "Your Majesty, I…" The thought, the very _idea_ revolted him. But… to stay in His Majesty's graces, to remain as a protector for Nunnally, should the need arise, to keep his promise to Lelouch… "If I can, I would be honoured to."

Charles nodded, accepting Suzaku's obedience as inevitable. "Hold still." He reached out, his hand large and wrinkled as it covered Suzaku's forehead. Suzaku blinked and stared at his new surroundings; a kind of other worldly dimension, composed of stars and space and Charles.

"This contract is for a power unlike any other," Charles explained. "A power that will set you apart and above the rest of humanity. In return, I expect you to serve and obey me, as I create a new world, greater and more wondrous than the one in which we are currently forced to live."

Suzaku felt a strange pressure pushing at him from all sides. "A new world?"

"A better world." Charles smiled victoriously. "A perfect world. And all you need to do is accept the power that will allow it to be!"

Suzaku bowed his head, ready to accept the _curse_ that he knew _geass_ to be. "I…" This was necessary. "I can…" He needed to do this. "I cannot accept."

The words felt torn from him, less spoke by his mouth and more a manifestation of his will. The pressure became unbearable and Suzaku curled in on himself, trying not to scream in pain as he felt himself crushed by the invisible forces.

And then he was falling to the ground at the Emperor's feet. How humiliating.

He could feel the cold glare from the man looming above him, the man who could make everything Suzaku had done and gone through worthless. Suzaku curled in on himself, miserable in his failure, and waited for the final decree.

"Get up. We have to be on Kamine island before dusk."

As Charles strode past him, Suzaku breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps he'd be able to get through this after all.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch waited patiently as reports of attacks all over the world came rolling in. The Black Knights were spread thin, but so was the Britannian army, and it was easier to defend already fortified territory than it was to attack it. It surprised him somewhat that none of the royal family was involved with any of the battles, however. True, Schneizel maintained his avowed aversion to battle to keep himself out of things, and Lelouch had Cornelia still trapped on his ship, but there were others who were still free and able to command troops.

But they weren't, choosing instead to stay at home in Pendragon and await the final outcome. Lelouch despised them all.

Still, it made things slightly simpler, particularly with Schneizel off the field. Lelouch was fairly certain his _geass_ over his brother was still active, but there was no real way to determine that, since part of the _geass_ had been to act normally.

But as long as he was in Pendragon, he couldn't be here, which was good. Particularly with the reports of the Knights of Six, Nine, and Ten all coming out to play in Japan.

The Ikaruga remained hidden in the Tokyo bay, his command center and launching point. The rest of Tokyo was under high alert. Kaguya wasn't there, having returned to her home in Kyoto to keep the lines of communication with the U.F.N. council open, and the rest of the government were spread out in various bunkers so even a lucky shot couldn't wipe them all out.

The first reports from Hokkaido of attacks were similar to the rest of the world's – a small enough force that they'd be able to defend easily for weeks if no reinforcements arrived. And they didn't look likely to.

According to the numbers, almost 90% of the Britannian army was accounted for. That left 10% remaining to attack southern Japan.

Of course, all of the Knights of the Rounds were included in that 10%.

Well, almost all. The Knight of Three was still under Lelouch's _geass_, and the Knight of Six _might_ be, if his father hadn't undone it somehow like he did with Shirley's. Lelouch couldn't guarantee that, however, so Anya and the Mordred were still listed as enemies.

And then there was the Knight of Seven.

Lelouch refused to think about Suzaku, concentrating instead on the knights who were posing an actual threat.

Nine and Ten had arrived in Kagoshima at the forefront of the attack, unfortunately taking down Lelouch's soldiers faster than they could retreat. The losses were unfortunate, particularly since Lelouch hadn't planned for any there – the order to run as soon as possible should have been enough to ensure their safety. Ten was a butcher.

The only upside was that the Knight of Ten, bored of the easy game in Kagoshima, had immediately turned towards Tokyo. Lelouch planned to meet him with something significantly more challenging than retreating soldiers.

Nine was still there, though, and had confronted Xingke directly, ensuring that his attention was diverted from the overall battle at hand. Lelouch sent in the coded messages to detonate the traps once the last of the Black Knights had evacuated Kagoshima and enough Britannian troops were in place to make a significant dent in their forces. Then he turned his attention back to Tokyo, trusting Xingke with Kagoshima.

They were attacking from the east, predominantly, while the Ikaruga remained in the south. The Knight of Six wasn't with the main force, however, and holding off the regular Britannian army was easy enough, particularly when they had time to prepare. Ten, of course, was coming from the south-west from Kagoshima. Lelouch smirked. He had a surprise or three up his sleeve for that bastard.

"Q1, are you ready to launch?"

"Ready and waiting." Kallen sounded eager. Lelouch grinned.

"Toudou, I'll leave overall command in your hands. I'm launching."

Toudou's grave face appeared on Lelouch's screen. "As you will, Zero." They'd discussed this at length. Lelouch wanted to be mobile if his father showed up, Toudou wanted him safely ensconced in the Ikaruga. Zero won, as always. "Take care."

It was nice that Toudou at least pretended that Zero's safety and wellbeing was something he gave a damn about. Lelouch smirked, safe behind his mask. "I always do."

Once airborne, he sent Kallen a set of coordinates and the Knight of Ten's trajectory, along with a no-holds-barred kill order.

"Zero, are you sure?"

"Completely. Take the Vampire of Britannia out, Q1. I'll back you up." The Shinkirou was a predominantly defensive Knightmare, but it had a few (energy sucking) impressive attacks of its own. Still, Lelouch was pretty sure Kallen could take Ten on her own.

"I'm off then. Watch my back."

Lelouch did. Ten wasn't alone – the Valkyrie Squadron was with him, backing him up. The Guren danced among them, like a hawk being harassed by starlings. Lelouch could sense Kallen's frustration even from his relatively safe vantage point in the Shinkirou.

…which, as it turned out, was not so safe. Lelouch barely managed to get the front shields up as the Percival, the Knight of Ten's specialized Knightmare, appeared in front of him, weapons blazing.

"This shield's the only good thing about your cowardly Knightmare," Sir Bradley broadcast over an open line. "Here's a question. What do people value most? Answer: Their lives, of course."

"Zero!" Kallen had finally figured out where the main enemy was, having completely dispatched the four Valkyries.

Lelouch took the moment of distraction to lower his shield to prepare a blast that would knock the Ten out of the sky and out of Lelouch's way. There was a moment, a mere fraction of a second, that he was vulnerable.

Bradley took that moment. "Just what I was waiting for, Zero. Now I will take what you value most and blow it away!"

There was no chance to evade, no time to counter, and nowhere to run.

And then the Guren was there and the Percival was not. "…Kallen."

"My apologies for being late, Zero," Kallen said eagerly. Lelouch was more than willing to forgive her.

The remainder of the battle was almost too fast for Lelouch to follow. He was careful to stay properly out of the way this time, however, quickly checking on the status of the rest of his forces.

Xingke was doing well, holding the Knight of Nine down while continuing to orchestrate the tactics of the overall battle for Kagoshima. He truly was as impressive as his legend made him out to be.

Toudou was also doing well, holding out against the main forces of the Britannian military and clearly able to continue to do so as long as the Knight of Ten never arrived to try to turn the tables of the battle. Kallen was ensuring that right now, her Guren outmatching his Percival almost embarrassingly.

The Knight of Six, though… She'd arrived with Nine and Ten, but hadn't entered the battle. In fact, in the chaos, Lelouch had completely lost track of her.

"Hey, what do you value most? Your own pitiful life?"

Lelouch looked up, momentarily distracted from his hunt to watch the Guren's radiant arm completely disable the Percival, instantly killing the Knight of Ten in the cockpit.

"Good work, Kallen." Lelouch gave up; it didn't seem like the Knight of Six was _anywhere_. "We should head back to Tokyo and…"

"Zero!"

It was an outside line, and the voice wasn't Toudou's or Xingke's. It was, however, panicked. "What?"

"The Knight of Six! The Mordred's here, on the Ikaruga! It's tearing everything up…"

Lelouch immediately turned his sights to the ship. They were close enough that he could see it, but not in any detail. "Where is she, exactly?"

"The port-side passenger deck. She… she's in your room, Zero!"

…what?


	9. Gathering

In another frame of mind, Marianne might have appreciated how neat and tidy Lelouch kept his room. He was _such_ a good boy.

But that was before she'd basically torn it apart, leaving rubble and debris everywhere, fusing the door shut to keep Lelouch's nosy little friends out. Ah well, in a few hours this, like everything else in the world, wouldn't matter. Once she found C.C.…

"Ah! There you are…" Marianne manoeuvred the massive Mordred into a hunkered down position so that it couldn't be attacked from outside without risking damage to the ship itself and opened the cockpit hatch. "It's been ages since I've properly seen you!" She hopped down form the cockpit, her perky and agile young body responding perfectly to her commands. How nice.

C.C., on the other hand, wasn't responding properly _at all_.

"I'm sorry!" Marianne had never seen her friend like this, timid and _terrified_, hiding behind a couch as if it was the only protection available. As if she _needed_ such protection.

Marianne cheerfully skipped up to C.C.'s hiding place, trying not to notice her flinch as she approached. "It's me, C.C. Don't tell me you truly forgot…"

C.C. whimpered faintly.

Marianne sighed, pressing her hand gently to C.C.'s cheek and closing her eyes as the world dissipated around her, reforming into something more impressive than the half-destroyed room of a terrorist, if more ephemeral.

C.C.'s inner mind was the same as Marianne remembered – elegant and tasteful, with wide open spaces and graceful arches with a light smattering of white clouds in an otherwise perfect blue sky. It was like a park and a palace and an art gallery all in one. It was a lovely place to visit. Marianne couldn't stand the thought of having to stay here permanently.

The artwork was vivid; precious memories, important people… Marianne had wandered further in a few times, to dustier, less well kept paintings. She didn't like the thought of becoming one of those paintings herself, and would do anything to prevent that.

She was walking past a bright sunflower painting when C.C. finally appeared before her, strolling just as casually in the opposite direction. Marianne moved past her, looking for a reaction. Nothing. She'd have to push harder.

"What are you doing, closing yourself up in here again like this, C.C.?" She turned around, confronting the C.C. she knew, the one who knew her. "C.C.!"

C.C. looked towards her, mildly interested at most. "Who are you?"

"It's me, C.C." Marianne stripped away Anya's body, appearing before her friend as herself. "See?"

"Ah." C.C. stood. "So you've chased me all the way in here now. Are you that worried about Lelouch, Marianne?"

Marianne laughed. "Oh, c'mon. Do you really think I'm such an ideal mother that that's all I think about? I came because so much has changed. I need to know if you're still on our side." C.C cocked her head curiously. "Charles was ready to grant your greatest wish, the wish to die. But you stopped him. Why? Why seal your _code_ instead?"

C.C. just shrugged. "I'm not sure. Honestly, I surprised myself with that impulsive decision."

"Well then!" Marianne declared. "You must return to the real world to find those answers."

"This is so like you," C.C. said fondly, as the illusions and seals disappeared. "Just waltzing in here to mess with my life."

"It's out of gratitude," Marianne explained, as C.C.'s mental world dissolved and her voice and body returned to Anya's. "For the power of _geass_ that you gave me."

C.C. huffed a little, standing up. "And yet you never fulfilled your contract with me."

"Not _yet_," Marianne agreed cheekily. "But if you come with me…"

C.C. nodded, holding out her hand for Marianne to help her over the fallen debris. "Oh, wait… I just need one last thing…"

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

By the time Lelouch arrived at the Ikaruga, the Mordred was gone. And so was C.C.

"I don't get it," Kallen said, standing beside him in the mess that was all that was left of the room. "Why would anyone take _her_?"

Lelouch shot her a cold look, somewhat diminished by the fact that she couldn't see it because of his mask. "You know full well what she is, Kallen." His voice, at least, conveyed his irritation clearly.

Kallen, however, just shrugged. "Before, yeah. But she's just a girl now. Harmless."

_Innocent_. Lelouch grit his teeth. "There's only one man I can think of who'd want her, in whatever shape she's in." His father wouldn't care that she was scared and confused, as long as he could take what he wanted from her… "He must have overruled the _geass_ I put on the Knight of Six to make her his fetching girl."

"Alright, then," Kallen said, practically. "What do we do?"

Lelouch shook his head. "_We_ don't do anything. You will follow Toudou's orders, or fly south to fight under Xingke, wherever you can do more good. The Knight of Nine is still out there, perhaps you could take some of the stress off Xingke."

"What about you?"

Lelouch sighed. "There's a reason Xingke and Toudou are in charge here. I always knew I might have to leave in the middle of this battle, Kallen. If my father… this is the best, and possibly only, opportunity I have to stop him."

Kallen frowned. "I'm going with you then. To protect–"

"No." Lelouch shook his head. "No, I need you to stay here. I need you to…" He swallowed, hard. "Kallen, if I don't come back… If my father wins and there are more battles to be fought… I need you to become Zero."

"…me?"

Lelouch took a deep breath. "Yes. You can share the role with Sayoko, she knows as much about it as anyone can, and you can leave the strategic planning in the hands of Toudou and Xingke, but… I need you to wear the mask and stir the hearts of the troops. You saw how I did it, from day one. I need you to become that me."

Kallen blinked away tears. "You're not going to die, Lelouch."

"I might." Lelouch laughed a little. "I should have, dozens of times before. Someone always saved me. But I'm out of heroes, Kallen. And I can't let you die to become one." He took her hand and placed it on his mask. "You've worn one of these yourself; day in and day out, at school. You know how to act, how to deceive with body language and tone. And you, more than anyone else, know my… _Zero's_ dreams and aspirations. You can do this."

"I don't…" Kallen shuddered once, like a full-body sob, before shaking it off and smiling shakily at Lelouch. "I don't want to. I will if I have to, but… the outfit looks uncomfortable, and the mask looks awkward. So come back, because if I have to give up the Guren for those boots, I will make you regret it."

Lelouch laughed, genuinely. "I like the boots. They flatter my calves."

The radio hissed to life. "Zero?"

"What is it?" Lelouch demanded, all business again in an instant.

"A large ship coming from the south with a flight trajectory that might lead it to Kagoshima just appeared on our radar."

_The Emperor_. "How soon would it be there?"

"An hour or so at the speed it's going."

That meant that it would arrive at Kamine island in just over half an hour. It would take Lelouch longer to get there even if he left immediately. Which he was planning on doing. "Very well. I'm sending Q1 your way for reinforcement."

"Zero," Kallen objected in a last-ditch attempt to get him to reconsider. "You shouldn't go alone."

Lelouch shrugged. "This isn't your fight, Kallen. Your fight is out there, over Japan." He turned away from her pleading eyes. "Good luck with it."

"…you too."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

It wasn't until the Tristan was shot out of the sky that Rolo realized that they might actually lose.

It didn't seem right! Sure, they were outmatched, with three Knightmares against over a dozen, one of them the Knight of One's Galahad, but they had a Knight of Rounds of their own, Jeremiah's unique Knightmare, and Rolo's _geass_. Just numbers shouldn't have been enough to outmatch them.

But it had been. Rolo was pinned down by six Knightmares, all coming at him from different sides, making it nearly impossible to get all of them with his _geass_. Jeremiah, similarly, had his hands full defending the building which was being directly targeted, as if Nunnally's life didn't warrant caution.

Unfortunately, that left Gino alone against a couple of Knightmares, which he dispatched easily, and the Galahad.

Rolo had seen Suzaku in action. Bismark, the Knight of One, was just as impressive.

Gino didn't even have time to eject before his Knightmare crashed into the ground. It made some feeble attempts at getting back up, either from Gino's efforts or electrical misfires. Rolo surprised himself by fervently hoping it was the former.

Rolo managed to take out his last opponent, facing the Galahad on his own as Jeremiah defended Nunnally and Sayoko's hiding place. The Knight of One moved fast, almost impossibly fast, reacting almost before a move was made. But Rolo could cut anyone's speed down to zero.

…if the Galahad would just stop moving around long enough for Rolo's _geass_ to get a fix on the space it inhabited. Even when Rolo managed to activate his _geass_, its momentum carried it out of the sphere of influence.

Rolo grunted and bit back a curse as he felt the Vincent's right leg ripped off under him. For the first time, he wished this unit had been properly fitted with a float system.

"Your _geass_ is useless, boy. I don't need the princess alive, although that is preferred. If you surrender her and yourself, I'll even let your remaining allies tend to the treacherous former Knight of Three."

…Gino. Rolo knew what Nunnally would say. He also knew what Lelouch would say.

"…or I can blow up that building and ensure that you have nothing to fight for."

There was no way out of this. If the choice was between Nunnally captured and Nunnally dead, there could be no question.

"Jeremiah."

"Yes, Rolo?"

"We have to surrender. He's seriously going to kill Nunnally."

There was a long moment of silence over the radio, then Jeremiah's voice returned. "I would fight even unto death for my princess."

"I know. But please don't fight unto _her_ death."

"Ahh…" The strange modified Knightmare withdrew from battle. "As long as there's life, there's hope."

Rolo breathed a sigh of relief. He just hoped he was doing the right thing.

"They're willing to leave you and Sayoko here and just take me and Nunnally." Jeremiah took in a deep, affronted breath, and Rolo continued quickly. "You need to help Gino. I'll keep her safe, Sir Jeremiah, I promise."

"Very well." Jeremiah didn't sound pleased. "This is not a task I'd entrust with anyone else." He'd seen Rolo willing to die for Nunnally before, and knew him well enough to know that Rolo would do it again in a heartbeat.

Possibly an irregular heartbeat if he got the chance.

A small transport, with barely enough room for the pilot, Rolo, and Nunnally's wheelchair, landed and Rolo obediently pushed Nunnally inside, securing her carefully before running through scenarios to take over the small plane as it took off.

"If you try anything, I'll shoot you out of the sky." Bismark's voice came over the intercom from his Knightmare, as it flew beside the plane. "Don't think you're the only one here with a _geass_."

That actually explained a lot. Rolo idly wondered if he'd gotten his _geass_ from the Emperor, or if it predated Charles's _code_ and was from V.V. Or possibly C.C.…

"Rolo, what's he talking about?" Nunnally asked quietly. Rolo cursed under his breath; he'd forgotten that Nunnally had no idea about _codes_ and _geasses_.

He reached out and held her hand. "Don't worry. I'll do everything I can to keep you safe."

Nunnally still looked troubled, but nodded and held Rolo's hand back.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Suzaku remained completely attentive behind the Emperor as they stepped out of the airship onto Kamine island. The Emperor hadn't brought up Suzaku's failure with the _geass_, and Suzaku wasn't about to remind him. The Emperor had spent the entire trip in silence, only occasionally nodding in acknowledgement when one of the techs brought him some information and smiling once, eyes glittering coldly, when Bismark had sent a message indicating that his mission was a success and he was on his way to the island as well.

Maybe he'd found someone able to accept a_ geass_ other than Suzaku. That would be a relief, although Suzaku felt a little guilty in forcing someone else to take on that horrible burden.

"Seven."

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"You are going to bear witness to the greatest achievement in the history of the world. The end of a time of war and strife, of misunderstandings and lies, and the beginning of a new world, of understanding and eternity."

…_eternity_? Suzaku had no idea what Charles was talking about. Nor, honestly, did he care. "I am privileged, Your Majesty."

"You are," Charles agreed. "And you would have been more so if you'd been willing to accept the _geass_ from me." He turned to Suzaku for the first time since they'd left Pendragon. "But that hatred and fear of _geass_, that lingering grief and disgust over its use, that's what makes you useful to me." He gestured, walking towards the ruins, and Suzaku followed.

"You have a single solitary duty here; to prevent my wayward son from interfering with what must be done." Charles fixed Suzaku with an unflinching stare. "If you must kill him to ensure that, you have my blessing."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Suzaku bowed, not sure why he was being given permission to kill Lelouch now.

As if reading his mind, Charles looked up at the sky as the sun set. "He is no longer necessary, now that we have everything we need to achieve out goals."

Suzaku nodded respectfully, not asking what the hell the Emperor meant out of respect. And certainly not out of a strong sense of personal disgust that this man could so casually order the execution of his son. He followed Charles's gaze, frowning as a glint of red appeared out of the corner of his eye. "Is that…"

"The Mordred." Charles smiled and, for the first time, it looked genuine, as if it had no other purpose but to convey happiness. "Marianne and C.C."

"Who…" Suzaku cut himself off. Anya was the Mordred's pilot. Marianne wasn't one of the Knights of the Round, nor one of the Emperor's personal Knights. So who…

The only Marianne Suzaku knew of was Lelouch and Nunnally's mother. But she was dead.

When the Mordred landed, Suzaku waited with bated breath to see who climbed out. C.C. was first, her movements much smoother than those of the childlike C.C. Suzaku had met on the Ikaruga, followed by Anya.

Suzaku breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know why the Emperor's words had made him think that Anya had died and her Knightmare had been given to someone else, but he was glad that she wasn't.

She bowed low to the Emperor who, amazingly, inclined his head in return. "Your Majesty." She turned to Suzaku. "Seven."

"It's good to see you, Anya."

Anya nodded. "I… I'm not sure how I got here, but this woman says…"

"C.C.," Charles interrupted. "You've finally come to accept your role in this?"

C.C. shrugged. "I've rather run out of options." She glanced at Suzaku. "Did you get him to accept a _geass_?"

"No, but I've dealt with that," Charles answered. "Once Bismark arrives, we'll have everything we need."

"Bismark? But I gave him his _geass_."

"He's bringing along another," Charles assured C.C., offering her his arm. "Shall we?"

C.C. laced her hand through his arm, accepting graciously. She took Anya's hand as they strolled through the cave. "Come. Everything will become clear. As Zero's ally, I assure you this is the right thing."

The redness around Anya's eyes was impossible to miss. Charles chuckled. "He did use his _geass_ on her, then."

"Of course." C.C. looked at Suzaku. "What's the boy here for?"

Charles looked at him too. "Protection. He's one of my Knights of the Round, after all."

"Hmph." C.C. smirked. "Then thank you for your service, Sir Kururugi." They arrived at the back of the cave and C.C., with both hands laced together with her companions', reached out and touched the wall.

Suzaku managed to catch Anya before she hit the ground. C.C. and Charles had simply disappeared. "What the…" He backed away from the wall, hand on his sword hilt. This was something he was probably better off not knowing.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch landed the Shinkiro next to the Mordred. The large airship that had presumably carried his father had left, leaving behind the Lancelot. Lelouch frowned. If Suzaku was here…

There was no time to think of that. Lelouch was pretty sure that if it came down to it, Suzaku would fight and even kill him in order to be in position to help Nunnally. Suzaku still cared about Nunnally; she was one of the few things still in existence that was important to him and that Suzaku didn't hate. Lelouch himself held a slightly more ambivalent position in Suzaku's heart and mind.

If Suzaku was there, with the Emperor and C.C., then Lelouch would just have to deal with that.

Truth be told, Lelouch wasn't entirely sure how the World of C thing, the thought elevator, was activated. V.V. had seemingly laid a trap for him that brought him there after attacking the Order, but that had been via the integration with the Knightmare Lelouch was piloting at the time. Or so Lelouch thought.

This time, Lelouch had to somehow enter himself. The last time he had been on Kamine island, nothing had activated (although Suzaku had seemingly shut down for a few seconds) but both the Gawain and the excavation seemed to be incomplete, unlike the Order's hidden shrine.

If it was anything like a typical _geass_ thing, it would activate instinctively.

He was just at the entrance of the cave when the slowly crescendoing sound of plane engines drew his attention to the sky as he ducked inside the cave, under the cover of some rocks.

As the plane approached and landed, Lelouch racked his brain for who it might contain. C.C. was here, as was the Emperor, most likely and even Suzaku. If one of the royal children had roused themselves to attend, they would have surely arrived in a more impressive vehicle. The thought of another _code_ carrier made Lelouch shudder, even as he acknowledged it as a definite possibility.

He'd not expected to see Nunnally, rolled out of the plane by a hunched-over Rolo, followed by the Knight of One, Bismark himself.

So. Had Rolo betrayed him? Lelouch could make out Nunnally's small hand covering Rolo's as if asking for comfort, and decided that Rolo was probably just as captured as Nunnally. In that case, the only enemy was the Knight of One. The main problem was that he was holding Nunnally and Rolo hostage, and if Rolo hadn't used his _geass_ that made it likely that he couldn't, for whatever reason.

Lelouch cursed silently, wishing he had Jeremiah with him.

He considered taking a shot at Bismark from his hiding place, before realizing that there were too many unknown variables to try. For all Lelouch knew, Bismark had a _geass_ similar to his own, and Rolo would take the shot for him. The thought of killing Rolo, once an added bonus to many of Lelouch's plans, now turned Lelouch's stomach. Having seen Rolo and Nunnally together, he truly felt a fraternal connection to the boy.

As they approached the cave, Rolo clearly caught sight of the Shinkiro and the Mordred, side-by-side, as well as the Lancelot. He turned to Bismark, saying something that Lelouch couldn't make out. The Knight of One just shook his head, gesturing expansively towards the cave in a clear order. Lelouch moved further into the cave, keeping to the shadows as best he could. He was paying so much attention to the group entering, he completely forgot about those already inside.

"Lelouch? What are you doing here?"

Lelouch whirled around to see Suzaku. "Suzaku! Where…" He caught sight of the Knight of Six, resting unconscious against the wall. "What happened?"

"I don't know. Your father and C.C. just vanished. And Anya…" Suzaku gestured wordlessly at her fallen body.

So. His father _was_ here. "The Knight of One is following me," Lelouch explained quickly. "With Rolo and Nunnally."

Suzaku followed Lelouch's train of thought. "You can't be seen, then. Here," he grabbed Lelouch, pushing him to the side. "Stay there and I'll try to keep Bismark's attention away from you."

Lelouch stumbled over his own feet, grabbing at Suzaku's wrist and the wall to keep his balance.

Except that instead of bracing himself against the wall, he fell through it.

Dragging Suzaku along with him.

…oops.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Rolo could have sworn he heard voices when they entered the cave, but once at the end of it, all he could see was the motionless form of the Knight of Six.

"What now, Sir Bismark?" Nunnally asked quietly when Rolo stopped.

Bismark walked up to a metallic box in the middle of the room, toying with it for a moment. "This isn't…" He pressed a few buttons and lines in the rear wall started glowing. Rolo almost recognized them – there was something familiar about them, something from the old _Geass_ Order that was familiar, if not exactly… He pressed his lips gently and reassuringly to the back of Nunnally's hand before moving away from her, towards Bismark.

"Sir?" Politeness rarely hurt. "What are you doing?"

"The damn eggheads didn't set the parameters for the two of you. I have to reset… there." The glow was ominous now, reminding Rolo of V.V.'s angry tantrums when something that Rolo didn't understand went wrong. "It's all set."

Rolo had a bad feeling about this. "For what?"

Bismark turned to him. "For you, and your _geass_, to enter with Princess Nunnally."

"…enter where?"

"The World of C," Bismark explained. "The source of _geass_ and the great unconsciousness of the universe." He shrugged. "God, if you will."

Rolo had a _really_ bad feeling about this. "Why are we…" It didn't really matter. "I'm not putting Nunnally at risk like that."

"You will," Bismark assured him, "because if you resist, I'm authorized to shoot her."

"She's a princess of the realm!" Rolo objected. "Even you can't just _kill_ her."

Bismark shook his head. "Not normally, no. But this is an exceptional place and time, and your role is necessary. Her life is not." His eyes narrowed at Rolo and he unholstered his gun. "Now, take the princess and enter the World of C."

Rolo shook with anger and fear. The two choices – leading Nunnally into possible danger or risking the Knight of One's threats – were both bad, and there was no third one that he could see. He remembered seeing Lelouch's Knightmare, along with the Knight of Six and the Knight of Seven's… maybe he was around. Maybe he'd save them…

Seconds passed with no rescue in sight. Bismark sighed. "You know, you brought this on yourself. Had you remained distant, the proper, perfect little assassin, there wouldn't even be an issue right now."

That was true. And Lelouch would be dead and Rolo would never have even met Nunnally, and…

"Don't say things like that." Nunnally voice was clear and strong, gently chiding rather than genuinely angry. "Rolo is fine the way he is."

…she couldn't have missed the 'assassin' part, could she? Rolo shook his head, how could she say such things, knowing…

Bismark huffed out an almost amused sigh. "Fine or not, he needs to make a choice."

Lelouch wasn't coming to save them. Perhaps he had been captured as well. Maybe he was even dead. Rolo didn't know. But the point was he wasn't here, and Nunnally was, and Rolo had to protect her. "What do I have to do?"

Bismark pushed Nunnally up to the wall. "Just take her hand like you did on the way here." Rolo did, his fingers lacing gently through Nunnally's. "And now touch the wall."

Rolo reached out with trembling fingers and…


	10. The World of C

Suzaku blinked up at the staircase floating in space. "Where are we?"

Lelouch cursed under his breath. While he'd meant to come here, bringing Suzaku along wasn't exactly what he'd planned. "The World of C."

"…what?"

"Never mind." Lelouch managed a small smile. "You did say you didn't want to be bothered with the mythical mumbo-jumbo of it all. I guess that's rather unavoidable now."

Suzaku looked around. From what he could see, they were standing on a platform in the middle of a cloudy sky – just above the cloud line, in fact. There were steps leading up to another platform, then more leading up to what looked like a kind of temple. The temple almost seemed to be glowing.

Despite having flown many times before and being able to pilot or drive anything with controls, Suzaku felt a moment of vertigo. They were just… floating. In the air. With no control or stabilization that he could see.

"This is impossible."

Lelouch just looked at him. 'Impossible' was clearly untrue. "Not at all. Just poorly understood and highly improbable." He'd been here before, more focused on killing his father and destroying a threat to his plans than appreciating the architecture. Now that he looked around, it _was_ impressively constructed. Somehow. "It doesn't matter, Suzaku. It's certainly not the weirdest thing we'll see here."

Suzaku nodded. "Um… d'you think you can let go of me?" Lelouch's hand was still wrapped around his wrist. He'd hate to admit it, but it was an almost welcome grounding in reality. But still… it was also Lelouch's hand, wrapped around his wrist.

"Oh." Lelouch jerked his hand back as if it had been burnt. "Ah. Sorry about that." He wiped his hand off awkwardly on his pants and looked up the staircase, frowning lightly. "When exactly did my father and C.C. cross over?"

"I dunno… about half an hour before you got here?" Suzaku sounded uncertain. "Maybe less. Time seems… weird."

Lelouch nodded in agreement. Time did, indeed, seem weird around these doorways, and weirder once inside. "Then we should probably hurry." He started up the stairs, leaving Suzaku to either remain on the floating platform or follow him. Suzaku hesitated for a moment, then caught up, being careful not to look down.

"Lelouch…"

"Hmm?" Lelouch asked distractedly. His mind was on Rolo and Nunnally, led into to this place for some reason by Bismark. He needed to resolve this before they got hurt.

"What are you planning?"

Suzaku's suspicious tone of voice caught Lelouch's full attention. "Why do you ask?"

"Because," Suzaku explained simply, "I have to choose if I'm going to stop you or not."

Lelouch rolled his eyes. "In that case, I'd hardly tell you if I was planning something dastardly." He tossed a sunny smile at Suzaku. "Just trust me."

"I really want to punch you right now."

That was probably fair enough. "I can't tell you what I'm going to do, Suzaku, because I have no idea."

"I don't believe you."

Lelouch shrugged. "Well, I don't. I have no idea what my father's plan is, what Lady Alstreim had to do with it, or why he had his Knight of One drag Nunnally and Rolo here."

"Nunnally's here?"

"Yes," Lelouch said curtly. "So the sooner this is dealt with, the better. No matter what, my father has the advantage here." He shot Suzaku a look. "I'd appreciate a reassurance that I won't get a blade in my back."

Suzaku resented that implication. "Then I assure you, Lelouch, if it's my blade you'll see it coming straight for your front."

"Thanks for that." Lelouch smiled and it almost seemed genuine. "I knew I could count on you to be straightforward, at least." Suzaku looked away. He didn't want Lelouch looking at him like that. Like a normal person with normal feelings. Almost like a friend. "How did C.C. seem when you saw her?"

The topic change was welcome. "Better. Like an adult again, if not a normal one, exactly. I think whatever was wrong with her got fixed, but… it's not like I knew her that well before."

"And she followed my father willingly?" Suzaku nodded and Lelouch looked darkly upset for a moment. "Then I can no longer count her as my ally."

"All alone. Again. Imagine that."

Lelouch just made a small sound of agreement as they climbed the last step to the temple area.

Two strange pillars rose out of nowhere past the other side of the temple, oddly shaped and twisting and twining their way up. Suzaku instinctively ducked for cover behind a marble column while Lelouch kept walking, focused on nothing but the man, flanked by two familiar figures, calling to the pillars with his arms outstretched.

"God, hear me now! The time has come to settle this!"

C.C. was standing on Charles's left, clutching her cheese-kun tightly and watching with eyes more dead than usual. On Charles's right, Lelouch could make out a form that his eyes and heart recognized, but his mind couldn't process. He turned away, not liking the confusing feelings churning in his stomach at the sight of the tall woman by his father's side.

Instead, he focused on his father; strong and proud, commanding this world and whatever God he called out to. Lelouch couldn't let it stand.

"It's not god you need to settle things with, Charles zi Britannia." His father turned, looking more smug than surprised. "It's me, your son!"

Charles shook his head. "Honestly… perseverance is an admirable trait, Lelouch. _In moderation_."

Suzaku, careful to keep under cover, crept up to the group. He got a better look at the pillars, barely holding back his gasp as he realized they were made out of human bodies, reaching further down than he could see, and rising up into a swirling vortex of cloud in the sky. The bodies looked tortured, tormented, fused together as the pillars twisted around each other in an unimaginably long tangled helix and continued to rise.

Both Lelouch and his father ignored them. The two women flanking the Emperor kept their gaze on them, however, ignoring the father/son discussion happening behind them.

"You truly didn't expect me?" Lelouch asked. "After sending such a clear invitation?"

Charles just shrugged. "I had hoped either that you would have recognized discretion as the better part of valour or," his eyes flickered to Suzaku's hiding place, "that the barriers in your way might prove less easily surmountable."

Suzaku, acknowledging the dig, stood and faced Lelouch and his father, his heart racing. If they forced him to make a choice now…

They both turned from him, dismissing him without a word.

"In any case, Lelouch, you're too late. This is my Ragnarok Connection, the Sword of Akasha." Charles gestured grandly at the twining bodies. "Soon the masks known as deceit will be discarded by the world, revealing the truth. And once we realize that lies have no meaning in the endless flow of eternity, conflict will disappear and the world will be reborn, perfect in its understanding."

Lelouch snorted. "That all sounds like metaphysical nonsense to me."

The woman who wasn't C.C. turned at that. "Just because you don't understand something doesn't mean you should belittle it, Lelouch."

Lelouch stared at her. Then blinked and stared again. "You… it can't be…"

"I thought I'd raised you better than that." The woman smiled. "Ah, but otherwise you've grown up rather nicely."

"…mother?" Lelouch's stunned voice, small and almost lost, surprised Suzaku as much as the revelation that this woman was supposed to be his mother.

He walked towards them, standing by Lelouch's side. He knew full well his friend… _former_ friend's vulnerability to the idea of his mother. "Is she an illusion?" Suzaku asked the Emperor. The question seemed to snap Lelouch out of the worst of his incredulity. "Did you create this, Your Majesty?"

"No," Charles said, reaching out to capture Marianne around the waist, holding her against him with casual affection. "There's no need to create such a thing. Nor would I shame her memory with a shallow fake."

"That's so sweet." Marianne pressed a soft kiss on his cheek and grinned cheekily at Lelouch. "The truth is that this is the only place I can take on my original appearance."

"What… I thought you'd been killed…"

A dark look passed over Charles's face. "She was. My brother, despite working with me to end a world of treachery and lies, betrayed me by killing my wife and lying to me about it."

"It was just good luck that my _geass_, long dormant up to that point, was to cross over into another person's mind," Marianne explained. "I hid inside Anya Alstreim to save myself after being killed by V.V. When my consciousness surfaced, I could communicate mind to mind with C.C. Once she knew what had happened, she left the Order to V.V. and kept an eye on you and Nunnally."

Lelouch shook off his shock. "That's right… not just mother's death – our exile, leaving us vulnerable in Japan… you have _that_ to answer for as well."

"It was necessary!" Charles snapped, patience clearly at an end.

"Necessary for what?" Lelouch demanded, coming out of his stupor and into a quickly building rage. "What kind of parent does that?"

Marianne smiled. "The kind who's willing to keep his children at a distance in order to protect them."

Lelouch looked like he'd been slapped.

"That's exactly right," Charles agreed. "I sent both you and your sister to Japan out of my brother's grasp. Anya and Nunnally were witnesses to his treason, so it was necessary to rewrite their memories in order to protect everything."

"But… that's…"

"Furthermore, allowing you to run around as Zero, doing as you pleased, was nothing more than bait for C.C. We needed two _codes_ and their corresponding_ geasses_ to perfect the Ragnarok Connection… with C.C. returned and your presence here, now is the time of success!"

Lelouch laughed bitterly. "If you think I'm going to help you…"

"Your _geass_ isn't required as we already have Marianne's assistance. All you need to do is stand aside – something I think you'll find it to be in your best interests," Charles assured him. "Given the immediate consequences of disobedience."

Suzaku placed his hand on Lelouch's shoulder. "Lelouch…"

His tone sent a shot of dread through Lelouch as he turned around. For some reason, he first registered Rolo, looked guilty and apologetic. It took him a moment to realize that the girl standing beside him (_standing_ beside him), her hand on Rolo's arm to compensate for her closed eyes as he guided her towards Lelouch, was… "Nunnally?"

"Lelouch." Nunnally clung to Rolo's arm. "Are you really Zero?"

"I…"

It was too much. If Suzaku had to see Lelouch break down one more time… "Your Majesty, what are you even doing here? What's your goal?"

Charles looked mildly amused at being addressed by his knight like that. "A better world, of course. A world that Nunnally and even Euphy would have wanted."

"Of course," Lelouch repeated, shaking his head almost in defeat between his sister and his parents. "What else could it be?"

Charles smirked, releasing Marianne from his embrace and holding out his hand to Rolo. "Come." Marianne moved behind C.C., holding her shoulders in an affectionate grip. "You carry V.V.'s _geass_ within you, corrupt and weak, but intact. With that _geass_ we will finish what the Order that created you started centuries ago."

"Centuries…" Rolo's expression didn't change from its stoic baseline, but his eyes flickered to Lelouch's face. Lelouch just looked away.

Rolo hesitated a moment more, then released Nunnally's hand. "I won't let anything happen to you," he promised her before walking towards the Emperor.

Lelouch's shoulders were rolled forward, his head bowed. A posture of complete submission. Suzaku couldn't believe it; he knew Lelouch hadn't had a plan when coming here, knew that Lelouch's weaknesses (his mother _and_ his sister) were being paraded in front of him; but still… how could he just give up like that?

The Emperor lay his hands on Rolo's shoulders, a similar position to Marianne's with C.C. "Now that all the pieces are in place, we can begin!"

The sigil on C.C.'s forehead started glowing, mirroring the one on Charles's hand. Rolo and Marianne's eyes started pulsing with their _geass_, and Rolo gasped for air as his heart started beating slower and slower. The tortured bodies broke through the clouds, creating a maelstrom and dispelling the illusion around the temple.

Suzaku watched Lelouch look away. "Lelouch… _do_ something."

Lelouch looked at him, then at Nunnally, then at the ground again. "What? I can't…"

"You have to. You're the only one who can." Suzaku grabbed Lelouch's chin and forced him to watch Rolo's suffering. "Why did you do everything in the first place?"

"…Nunnally…"

Suzaku shook him. "That's only half true."

"You're right." Lelouch sounded like he was just realizing this himself. "It wasn't just for Nunnally it was… to protect what's important to me."

"To do that, you need to take action." Suzaku let Lelouch go. "_Now_."

Lelouch straightened up. "Yes, I do." He stepped forward and wrenched Rolo from his father's arms, pushing him back where Suzaku caught him.

"What are you…"

"I'm rejecting you," Lelouch announced, staring his father in the eye. "You and everything you stand for. Why do people lie? It isn't only because they struggle against each other! It's also because there's something that they're seeking." C.C. gently pulled away from Marianne, listening. "You now want a world without change. Without the freedom to lie, to wear necessary masks, there is no freedom at all! Complete honesty is the same thing as complete mutual slavery. And a world that cannot grow, that cannot improve, can never be perfect."

Marianne stepped forward. "Lelouch, does this mean… are you rejecting me too?"

"That depends. Are your wishes the same as his?"

"It will be so good to rejoin all the people who have departed," Marianne said gently, looking sweetly between Lelouch and Suzaku. "You can be reunited with those who have died. Even Euphemia."

Suzaku flinched. Lelouch didn't. "As I expected. You both believe that this new world you envision would be best for all. But forcing your good intentions on others is no different from an evil act."

"Then what of Zero?"

Everyone turned to Nunnally, standing alone, her hands clasped in front of her and her head held high as the wind from the Ragnarok Connection whipped her hair around her face.

"Zero is just as guilty of taking people's choices away," she pointed out.

"How…"

"Bismark told her," Rolo admitted, moving away from Charles to take Nunnally's hand. "Everything about _geass_, at least."

Nunnally held onto him as they moved towards Lelouch. "I know why you did it, Lelouch. I know that you meant well, that you wanted to create a better world. And I know that you did it for me." She reached out and Lelouch caught her hand, drawing her close to him. "But I also know that you knew I wouldn't have wanted for you to do it this way. Just as Suzaku-san knows that Euphy wouldn't have wanted him to fight with you. You both love us and know us so well. So why did you ignore our wishes?"

Both Lelouch and Suzaku looked at each other, then away.

"Your own selfish desires," Marianne sighed. "And yet you presume to stand in judgment of us, Lelouch."

"Nunnally, I…"

"It's not all bad," Nunnally interrupted Lelouch. "The U.F.N., the freed Japan… these are wonderful things, Lelouch. Things I'm proud my brother accomplished. But the way you chose to do it…"

"I'm sorry."

Nunnally smiled. "That's all I wanted to hear." She reached up and cupped Lelouch's cheek, wiping away an errant tear. "Promise me, Lelouch. Promise me a truly better world, a truly free world that you would be proud to create by my side."

"I will." Lelouch mirrored Nunnally's caress. "I can and I will, Nunnally." As his thumb brushed her cheek, Nunnally's eyelashes fluttered, her lids slowly rising to look her brother in the eye for the first time in eight years.

"It's a promise."

"It's too late for that," Charles disagreed. "The Ragnarok Connection has already begun. You can't stop it now."

Lelouch kissed Nunnally's forehead and stepped away, turning towards his father and the giant helix of tormented people. "You think so? I am Zero! The man who works miracles." He removed his contact, releasing his _geass_.

"Your _geass_ is useless against me, or anyone here!"

"You're wrong! The World of C isn't merely a place, it's the will of mankind itself!" Lelouch stepped forward and faced the maelstrom. "The collective unconsciousness of humanity, isn't that what this is? And my _geass_ is a power that works on wills."

Charles shook his head, looking uncertain for the first time. "Don't be ridiculous! God cannot be defeated by the measly power of a king."

"This isn't about defeating _anyone_!" Lelouch declared. "It's about a request; a wish. From me to the human race." He could feel the power building, the force of his will stronger for this wish than for any other as he stared into the swirling void hovering over them. "Please, don't stop the march of time!"

Marianne rushed forward. "Lelouch, you ungrateful child."

Suzaku drew his sword and stood between them, protecting Lelouch. "Nobody would've wanted this! No one and especially not Euphy!"

"But you could talk to Euphy again if you'd just let us–"

"Meaning you are going to force me to, right?" Suzaku corrected, his sword unwavering.

Charles, meanwhile, focused on his son. "This won't work. It _can't_ work! Not against God nor all of humanity itself!"

The _geass_ flowing through Lelouch was more powerful than he'd ever felt before. "Regardless, what I want… is tomorrow!" The power doubled as his _geass_ evolved, taking over his other eye. The helix of bodies, the Sword of Akasha, the godslayer created by Charles and V.V., crashed down, overpowered by the will Lelouch had imposed upon the World of C itself.

C.C. spoke for the first time, curling up with her cheese-kun as she sat on the ground. "Marianne, Charles, just stop already. It was presumptuous of us to even attempt this."

"No, we can still…" Charles's desperate voice was cut off as he realized he was disappearing at the same rate the Sword of Akasha, from the feet up.

"Darling, you–" Marianne rushed to Charles's side, only to suffer the same fate.

"This isn't a lie or a falsehood," Lelouch assured them. "It's reality's response. It's the only answer you deserve for your selfish ambitions."

"No, it's not possible!" Charles shook his head in denial. "I'm supposed to be immortal! We're being absorbed? Consumed by the World of C?"

C.C. shook her head. "In the end, you loved only yourselves. You no longer have any other attachments to the world."

"That's not true!" Marianne protested. "We love our children. Lelouch, Nunnally…"

Nunnally made a small sound, moving towards her mother before Rolo caught her, holding her back as tears streamed down her face.

"You love us?" Lelouch asked incredulously. "Then do you have any idea what the meaning is behind Nunnally's smile?"

"The meaning?" Marianne asked, confused.

Lelouch glared at her. "That's what you don't understand. Nunnally was blinded! My own sister was crippled! She knew… she knew that there were things in this world that she would never be able to do by herself. So her smile… Nunnally's smile was her way of expressing gratitude!"

Nunnally bit back a sob, turning into Rolo's embrace.

"You're labouring under a delusion!" Charles snapped at his son.

"I will not let you call that a lie! Over my dead body!" Lelouch shouted back, his voice quivering with rage. "You refused to face reality, content to watch us from afar! You have no _idea_ what our lives have been like, who we have become! There's only one truth here! You, our own parents, you abandoned us!"

And Lelouch, in his way, was abandoning them, watching passively as they disappeared into the ether of the World of C.

At least he got in the last word.

His ragged breathing echoed in the empty world, the only sound for a long time. Then the clipped, military staccato of Suzaku's boots as he approached. "Lelouch…"

Lelouch looked up at him, both eyes carrying the red sigil of _geass_. "What, Suzaku?"

"Well, considering you waltzed in here without a plan, I'd say that was fairly… decisive."

Lelouch stared at him. "You're not funny."

"Never claimed to be." Suzaku sheathed his sword. "Nunnally is…"

Lelouch looked over his shoulder at his crying sister, and the boy who was awkwardly holding her, who months ago hadn't ever experienced proper emotions. "My family is so screwed up, Suzaku."

"This is news?"

The breath that came out of Lelouch was almost a laugh. He moved towards Rolo and Nunnally, ruffling Rolo's hair affectionately before taking his sister in his arms and letting her cry against him.

Rolo moved away with a faint smile, approaching Suzaku and C.C. with slight trepidation. Suzaku didn't have the energy to calm his fears. Frankly, if Suzaku had had more energy, he might have actually scolded him for bringing Nunnally here. But he felt emotionally drained by everything that had happened over the past few days.

"What are you planning to do now?" C.C. asked him.

Suzaku shrugged. "I don't know. I hate to say it, but I guess it'll depend on what Lelouch does."

"Is there a possibility of you joining forces with him?"

"Unlikely," Suzaku decided. "I don't think that's what either of us need right now." _But later, once the wounds have had time to heal, perhaps…_

C.C. shrugged. "That's up to you, I suppose."

"Either way," Rolo added, gesturing to Suzaku's sword, "we're going to need to deal with Bismark and Alstreim somehow once we leave here."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Anya sat up, completely disoriented. "What the… where am I?"

She looked around the cave, careful to keep away from the glowing lines on the wall as she scooted back, fumbling for her electronic diary.

Five hours missing.

And this time there was no Gino to assure her of who and where she was; no fellow knights, or at least soldiers, congratulating her on her seemingly impossible victory; not even the Mordred, familiar and comfortable. All that she could see was grey stone all around her, lit up by eerily pulsing lines of light coming from the rear wall of the cave.

She curled up and waited for the world to make sense again. Alone.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Schneizel looked up at the knock on his door. "Come in."

He hadn't been expecting the Knight of One. "Your Highness, I bear some heavy news."

"I thought you were fighting around Area 11. Sorry, the _former_ Area 11."

"I was, Your Highness. With His Majesty. I'm afraid His Majesty has been…"

"Oh. I see." Schneizel stood up, his irises flaring red for a brief moment before turning back to normal. "Well then, let's just stop all this nonsense, shall we?"

Bismark bowed low, hiding his grief and resignation. "Yes, Your Highness."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

The announcement that Charles zi Britannia was dead took the Black Knights by surprise.

"…does that mean we won?"

"Sir! Princess Cornelia has escaped along with two Knightmare engineers."

"The Britannian forces are laying down arms. Schneizel is requesting a cessation of hostilities followed by parlay."

"_Where's Zero_?"

When it was followed by the release and crowning of the former Emperor's eldest son, Odysseus, who once again appealed for peaceful understanding and cooperation, the U.F.N. voted unanimously to hear him out.

Nunnally returned to Pendragon, with Rolo as her knight, Suzaku returned to the Knights of the Round, and Zero returned to the Black Knights and the U.F.N., although he refused to participate in any of the negotiations. C.C. came with him.


	11. ONE MONTH LATER

ONE MONTH LATER

"Are you sure about this, Zero?"

Lelouch looked up from his mask. "You can call me Lelouch when we're alone."

"I don't want to right now," Kallen retorted. "Are you sure about this?"

That was a hard question. Lelouch had planned for this since leaving the World of C, had worked to get everything ready, but now that it was time… "Of course I'm sure."

Kallen huffed a laugh, plopping herself down gracelessly on the bed beside where Lelouch was sitting. "You don't sound sure."

"Don't be ridiculous. I _always_ sound sure." _Even when I'm not._

Rather than answering that, Kallen brushed her fingers over Zero's mask.

"I would have done it."

"Hmm?"

"If you hadn't come back. If… if something had happened to you. I was ready to do it."

Lelouch frowned. "I shouldn't have asked. It's not something that can just be handed over like that. It was just the stress of the moment."

Kallen shook her head. "No, I mean… you don't have to do this. If you just want to walk away, you don't have to destroy Zero to do that. I can–"

"Kallen, no." Lelouch moved the mask away from her hand. "You can't. Nor should you. It's not just wearing the mask, it's being willing to give yourself up for it." He shook his head. "I'm not placing any of the responsibility for what I've done on 'Zero', but I do know that you can't take on this persona without having it change you." He gave her a half-smile. "If there was nothing left for you to live for, if you'd lost everything that made your life meaningful, then… perhaps. Maybe I could have forced this onto you without regret. But even then, Kallen…"

"I'm not good enough."

Lelouch laughed softly. "You're not broken enough." He looked at her fondly. "Zero walks with his back straight and his head high because the person behind the mask cannot. I've never seen you bend, not once, Kozuki Kallen. And I never want to."

Kallen nodded. "Then what are you going to do? Without it, I mean?"

"Start again." Lelouch sighed. "Although I'm not sure what the point would be anymore. Japan is free, the U.F.N is already working to make the world a better place, Xingke is now in command of the Black Knights, my mother is… well, that whole situation is resolved now." He shrugged. "Nunnally is safe and cared for, Rolo has found a place… there's nothing more for me to do."

Kallen laughed. "Burnt out at eighteen."

"Maybe I'll finish high school."

"Don't even joke about that." Kallen made a face. "I have to repeat the entire last year."

"Is it really repeating if you spent the whole time being a freedom fighter rather than attending classes?" Lelouch asked.

Kallen rolled her eyes. "We weren't doing much freedom fighting. Just sitting around, waiting for an opportunity to bring you back." She shot Lelouch a mildly irritated look. "It seems I've spent most of my life waiting for you."

"How romantic."

"Don't even." Kallen stood up. "So what. Are you going to go back to being Lelouch Lamperouge, or Lelouch vi Britannia?"

Lelouch stood as well, picking up the mask. "We'll see if I have any choice in the matter. It's entirely possible I'll be spending most of my adult life in prison, or that I'll be executed within the month."

Kallen looked shocked. "But they–"

"I trust Schneizel about as far as I can throw him. And given my upper body strength…"

"They promised!"

"They tend to lie." Lelouch smirked. "Ah, well… it's not like I'd be surprised. I have been willing to die for this ending and I'm more than willing to do so now, if that's the price."

"The Black Knights won't stand for it!"

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "Really? After finding out who I really am, you think they'll rally behind me?"

"Of course!" Kallen declared indignantly. "It doesn't matter who you are, you're still Zero!"

Lelouch gave her a moment to process that. "Well, on the odd chance it happens, I'd appreciate if you'd call them off. The last thing I want is to be the trigger for another war."

Kallen's face was flaming red at this point, half furious that they were talking about Lelouch's execution like this, half embarrassed at the memory of the way she'd abandoned him once she found out his true identity. "I'm not just going to–"

"What?" C.C. asked from the doorway as Kallen chocked off mid-sentence. "Don't stop yelling at him just because I'm here."

"I think we're more or less done here in any case," Lelouch assured her. "Are you coming?"

C.C. thought about it. "Might as well."

"Well then." Lelouch put his mask on and offered C.C. his arm. "Try to look appropriately witchy."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"Ladies and gentlemen, Zero is arriving now." The hushed, reverent voice of the newscaster transmitted his excitement through the television. "Waiting for him is the Princess Cornelia, the Knight of Seven, and Princess Nunnally's personal knight, the only three people in the Empire to have seen Zero's face and live.

"The peace bought by millions of lives and hours of negotiations hinge on this moment. If Zero reveals himself to the satisfaction of those awaiting him, the alliance between Britannia and the U.F.N. will be ratified by the 99th Emperor Odysseus eu Britannia and Sumeragi Kaguya, the Chairwoman of the U.F.N. However, the Black Knights are still under his command until he removes his mask, and should he chose he may maintain his secrecy, a decision that could lead to war. The world is truly in this mysterious man's hands."

Zero stepped out of the car that had been sent for him, pausing before taking C.C.'s hand.

"Ah, he's brought his… er… woman with him." The newscaster barely stumbled over C.C.'s rather questionable title. "It's said she's the only one of the Black Knights, including Zero's own fiancée, to have ever seen him without his mask."

C.C. turned and smiled directly at the camera as Zero ignored it.

"Zero is now approaching the throne room." The camera moved with Zero, managing to get a decent angle to record Zero entering the throne room, approaching Odysseus with his head held high and C.C. moving like royalty herself.

There were a lot of people present. Every noble who could manage to get to Pendragon had wanted to be here for this. The reveal of Zero's identity had been the source of a great deal of speculation, and many of them had a significant amount of money riding on the outcome.

The muttering that came from the crowd was different from the last time Lelouch had walked this of his own will. Then, the murmurs had been malicious and vindictive, rejoicing in the misery of a ten year old boy and the death of a young vibrant woman.

…who wasn't actually dead, but they didn't know that. Lelouch suppressed a disgusted snort. Surrounded by the depths of such disgusting opinions based on such pervasive ignorance…

This time the murmurs were curious and respectful. While there was no love lost between Zero and the nobility of Britannia, there was respect there, and fear. From the nobles at least. Lelouch was still of the opinion that they were overdecorated peacocks.

"Zero." Odysseus stood. Zero approached the throne and did not bow.

"Your Majesty. Congratulations on your ascension." Lelouch saw Bismark's expression twist bitterly. Interesting… Lelouch made a mental note that Bismark's loyalty appeared to be to the deceased Charles and not the newly crowned Odysseus. It was good to know where everyone stood.

Lelouch's attention then turned to Schneizel. He'd had Jeremiah remove his _geass_ before the negotiations started, per his promise to Nunnally. Odysseus's own _geass_ had been removed some time afterwards. It was rather more difficult to get to the Emperor than to a mere prince. Cornelia's _geass_ remained at her own request. She didn't want Lelouch able to use his power against her in the future. Lelouch had been impressed with her request and promised her that should he rebel again, he'd be sure to just kill her. She'd thanked him for his courtesy.

In hindsight, if Lelouch had known that Schneizel would have demanded he reveal his identity in this public manner, he might have kept the _geass_ on him longer. Judging from Cornelia's amused expression, she may have had something to do with the forum in which Lelouch would have to demask.

Actually, Suzaku looked a little smug too. The only one who didn't look like he was looking forward to this was Rolo. Lelouch felt a wave of affection for his fake little brother, and a sweeter, gentler wave of affection for Nunnally, seated in her wheelchair with her eyes wide open at Rolo's side.

It somehow made it better that she seemed to want this too.

C.C. moved off to the side. Lelouch faced the new Emperor. "You Majesty, I have a request."

"Yes?"

"I would appreciate it if the Knight of Seven could be the one to remove this mask."

Odysseus looked to Schneizel briefly (but what a tell…) before nodding. "Of course." He gestured for Suzaku to approach.

Suzaku stood in front of Lelouch. "What are you doing?" he whispered.

"I just feel more comfortable the more uncomfortable you get," Lelouch answered, just as quietly. Suzaku's lips twitched. "No, really, I just thought… in her memory…"

"You're getting sentimental in your old age," Suzaku said, reaching forward and fumbling at the release of Lelouch's mask, lifting it up and off.

Lelouch hadn't bothered to cover his mouth, so the moment the mask was removed, Odysseus, Schneizel, Cornelia, and everyone around the throne had a perfect view of his face.

"L-Lelouch…" Odysseus stared at him in genuine shock. Later, Lelouch would look over the footage and notice with some pleasure that even Schneizel had been surprised – apparently Cornelia had kept his secret, if only for the entertainment value of having it exposed this way.

Suzaku stepped back and Lelouch, still in Zero's outfit, but no longer Zero now that the mask was removed, bowed properly to his new Emperor. "Your Majesty."

Odysseus stepped forward, looking like he wanted to embrace Lelouch right then and there. But then he remembered that he was no longer merely the crown prince. He was Britannia's Emperor.

"We thought you were dead. I mean, when we found Nunnally, we all hoped, but…" He drew himself up. "How could you betray Britannia like that? And at your age…"

Lelouch smirked, keeping his head bowed. "Who at seventeen isn't a bit of an idealist, Your Majesty? I saw a world filled with corruption, a cruel Empire that preyed on its weakest citizens. I simply decided to do something about it."

"But…" Given that Odysseus had apparently rebelled against his father in a smaller way the first time he took over the throne temporarily (albeit under Lelouch's _geass_) there wasn't much he could say to that. "But you're back now? You'll come home?"

Lelouch's head snapped up at the hopeful tone. Odysseus's _geass_ was gone and he wasn't a natural manipulator like Schneizel. There was no reason for him to say anything like that unless…

He was even looking at Lelouch with some kind of beneficent patience and Lelouch just wanted to laugh. This was seriously the next Emperor? Well… he fought not to look at Schneizel. He had an idea who the true power behind the throne would be.

Still… "If you'll have me." Lelouch bowed his head again, the penitent returning to the flock. He back was staring to hurt.

"Of course, of course!" Odysseus sounded thrilled. "Stand up, Lelouch. Zero or no, you're still my brother."

That was what Lelouch had been afraid of – that Odysseus just genuinely meant what he said, that even without the _geass_ on him he still…

No. Wait. Maybe this was just a public relations thing. Maybe he was trying to play the part of beneficent ruler. Maybe he'd been forwarned by Cornelia and advised by Schneizel to act this way. It was possible, even though Odysseus had never been a decent actor, and Cornelia had nothing to gain by welcoming Euphemia's killer back into the family and…

The thought that it might have been just that easy; that if Lelouch had turned to his siblings instead of trying to face the Emperor alone, that he might have been able to avoid everything that happened was too much. With Zero's mask gone, the last of Lelouch's defences stripped from him, it took everything he had not to break down right then and there.

And then Suzaku was there; a strong hand on Lelouch's shoulder, warm and familiar. "Lelouch… it's okay."

That was just like Suzaku. He had no idea what Lelouch was thinking and feeling, but he was always willing to try and fix things, even things he didn't understand. It wasn't okay. It wasn't even close. But… it could be okay again. In the future. Maybe.

Lelouch stood with Suzaku's help, facing his eldest brother who simply smiled back. "Oh, I forgot. Sir Kururugi, Sir Lamperouge, Princess Cornelia… is this the true Zero?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Rolo answered immediately. Suzaku just nodded in agreement.

Cornelia walked up to Lelouch grasping his chin and lifting his face to stare him down. "Did you pull the trigger?"

Lelouch didn't even pretend not to know that she meant on Euphemia. "Yes."

She released him. "This is… _was_ Zero."

Odysseus nodded and gestured. A table and two chairs were immediately drawn up and Kaguya was brought to sit opposite Odysseus as they signed the treaty.

"Can I speak to my fiancé now?" Kaguya asked cheerfully.

Odysseus frowned. "Fiancé?"

"Oh great," Lelouch muttered nearly silently. Suzaku, the only one close enough to hear, fought not to smile.

Kaguya hopped up and bounded up to Lelouch. "I must say this _is_ a surprise. I always thought Zero would be older."

"I thought you'd be more disappointed," Lelouch replied. "I don't recall much affection the first time we met. Mostly bossiness."

"Don't be silly!" Kaguya chirped. "I did say you could kidnap me if you promised not to eat me."

"You also called me an _oni_. I know what that means."

Kaguya waved her hand in the air. "Bygones." She grabbed Lelouch's hands. "In any case, I hope you get to help with the liberation of the other Areas. It would be lovely to work together again." She released him before he could answer, turning to C.C. "Do try to keep him out of trouble, won't you?"

"I'll do my best," C.C. assured her solemnly.

The rest of the day was mostly self-congratulatory speeches followed by mingling. Lelouch retreated as soon as possible.

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"Welcome back, Sir Kururugi."

"Thanks." Suzaku stepped out of the Lancelot and removed his earpiece. It had been a week since he'd been in Pendragon, since Lelouch had been revealed as Zero. A week in which there had been no combat, so he'd done a lot of training and a lot of thinking. Particularly about a certain offer to return to Japan and serve under Toudou.

He was hesitating in answering back for a few reasons – he felt like he was finally doing good in serving Britannia, he wasn't sure how the Japanese people would react to him returning, Toudou and the others he'd be serving with would also have certain prejudices and reservations… but mostly it came down to one thing.

He wasn't sure he wanted to be there when he could be somewhere else. Serving someone else. Someone else in particular.

Since he was running a bit late, he made a quick call from the hanger. "There's a slight delay…"

"Oh, Sir Kururugi. We were trying to contact you earlier." Probably when Suzaku and Gino and Anya had all switched Knightmares for Gino's idea of fun. It might have been dorky, but Anya had laughed at him lumbering around in the Mordred and Suzaku realized that he'd never actually heard her laugh before. Gino wasn't as shallow as he seemed. "Your appointment has been moved back to 1300 hours, sir. My apologies."

"It's fine." That would give him enough time to wash and change and grab something to eat. "I'll be there. Thanks."

He was in a surprisingly good mood once he was clean and fed. He arrived at the appointed meeting place early and waited.

And waited.

A girl with the same voice from the previous call stuck her head in a few times to apologize, a little more harried each time.

After half an hour of this, Suzaku simply stood up and walked past her into the office.

"Marie, If he's still there, tell him I'm busy."

"Oh, don't worry. He's still here."

Lelouch looked up from a mass of papers with a smile. "Suzaku. How nice to see you." His eyes moved to focus on the girl standing behind Suzaku, no doubt fretting over him barging in like this. "It's fine, Marie. Frankly he had more patience than I expected." Lelouch waved to an empty seat in clear invitation.

"Would you and your… guest like anything, Your Highness?"

"No," Lelouch answered for both of them. "Thank you." He waited until the door was closed before turning to Suzaku with a smirk. "Half an hour?"

Suzaku just leaned back in his chair. "It's not like I had anything better to do." He gestured at the mountain of papers on Lelouch's desk. "As opposed to you."

Lelouch laughed. "Yes, well… the Britannian nobility see me as a prince, the downtrodden Numbers see me as Zero, and everyone's willing to listen when I speak. It's perfect except that they're _only_ willing to listen to me." He snorted. "I blame Kaguya. If she hadn't immediately publicly recognized me after Odysseus… I mean, His Majesty did, I wouldn't be so universally revered and I wouldn't be stuck with this mess."

"Isn't this what you wanted, though?" Suzaku asked. "I mean, freedom for the Areas, the dissolution of the Britannian Empire…"

"I suppose," Lelouch conceded. "I just never expected it to happen so _bureaucratically_."

Suzaku grinned at Lelouch's whiney tone. "You never were one for homework." He stood up, full of anxious energy. Lelouch ignored him for a few moments before his pacing got to him.

"What, Suzaku?"

"It's just…" Suzaku had come in here with a plan. He'd practiced and rehearsed what he'd say. But it wasn't working. "You were right."

"…when?"

Suzaku gestured vaguely. "Just… in general. About things. You… _Zero_ got things done. I can't agree with the way you went about it, but you got what you wanted in the end. You were right."

Lelouch put down his pen. "I honestly never thought I'd hear that from you."

"Well, it took a while to manage…"

"That's the stupidest thing you've ever said, Suzaku. And that's saying something." Lelouch glared at him. "You can't agree with the way I went about it? I killed Euphy. I _systematically_ took away people's free will. I used the Japanese people to enact my own selfish revenge. I lied to my sister. And the fact that the world is becoming a better place isn't because of any of that – it would have happened regardless. The only things I can look back on with pride are the formation of the Black Knights and the U.F.N. and stopping my father. Everything else is something I have to atone for in some way." He lowered his glare to the table. "And it would take more than a single lifetime to do so."

Suzaku hadn't ever heard Lelouch's voice so full of grief. Not even when describing what had happened with Euphemia. "You did good things, Lelouch. You freed Japan, and other Areas too. You saved the world, and even now–"

"That's the point!" Lelouch interrupted. "I'm doing more good working within the system here or across a negotiating table than I ever did as Zero. If I hadn't… If I'd just hung my head and swallowed my pride and returned to the family when I was ten… maybe this wouldn't have had to happen. Maybe Nunnally would have been safe here, loved. Maybe I could have worked with my family instead of against them. Maybe Clovis, Euphemia…"

"Maybe Japan would still be Area 11," Suzaku said reasonably. "Maybe we'd all be in the World of C. You can't really think that's better."

Lelouch refused to look at him. "What did you come here for, Suzaku?"

This wasn't how Suzaku had wanted to bring this up. "Prince Schneizel talked to me recently. About you needing a knight if you were going to continue to place yourself in vulnerable positions in volatile Areas."

"Don't be ridiculous. You'd be accepting a demotion."

"I never said I was offering."

Lelouch conceded the point. "Right. Go on."

"I'm offering."

"Suzaku… no." Lelouch shook his head. "Thank you, but no."

"Why not?" Suzaku demanded, leaning over Lelouch's desk. "I know you. And you know me. You know you can trust me, Lelouch and I… I want to protect you."

Lelouch leaned away. "I don't want to be protected by you. I appreciate the offer, but serving me, guarding me, isn't going to rebuild our friendship, Suzaku. We were only ever friends when we were equals. As long as you serve Britannia, that can't happen."

"Says who?" Suzaku wheedled. "I mean, yeah, you're always going to be a prince, but you'll still be Lelouch."

He leaned in closer, and Lelouch's eyes widened as Suzaku's face and body drew uncomfortably near. "Suzaku…" The sight of Suzaku falling to one knee in front of him made Lelouch's heart skip a beat and not in a good way. "Suzaku, don't you _dare_ kneel in front of me, you bastard…"

"Please, Your Highness." Suzaku bowed his head. "Please let me do this. I know you don't think it'll work, but… I want to _try_."

"You damn cheater." Lelouch sighed and reached out, threading his fingers through Suzaku's hair. "I'll consider it." Suzaku's head snapped up, his smile lighting up his entire face. "I'll _just_ consider it. So get up. And stop grinning, I haven't said yes."

Suzaku, very wisely, didn't say '_you will…_' like he wanted to. "No, you're right, of course." He stood up. "When can I expect an answer, Your Highness?"

"Tomorrow," Lelouch answered. "Plus one more day every time you call me 'Your Highness' when you don't have to."

"Kay." Suzaku beamed. "Can we tell Nunnally first?"

Lelouch outright glared. "I still haven't said yes." Suzaku's smile didn't fade one iota. "You're going to be insufferable, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

The look of exasperation Lelouch shot him was, at least, fond. "Don't move."

"…what?"

Lelouch stood up, facing Suzaku. "Don't move. Just stand there and… don't move. And don't read too much into this either. And don't think about it or anything. In fact, don't move, don't say anything, and forget about this the moment it's over."

Suzaku stared uncomprehendingly at him. "Lelouch…"

"I said not to talk," Lelouch reminded him, taking a deep breath before standing in front of Suzaku and wrapping his arms around him, one hand lacing through Suzaku's hair.

Suzaku stiffened at first, not sure what to make of this, before relaxing in Lelouch's tentative hold. He was rewarded with Lelouch settling more comfortably against him, tightening his hold slightly. He was warm and smelled surprisingly good. Suzaku hugged him back.

"Suzaku…"

"Oh, shut up, Lelouch." Suzaku felt his throat constrict with a mixture of nostalgia and hope. There had been a time in their lives when casual embraces and touches had been the norm between them. This was far from casual, but perhaps it was a good first step to regaining that comfort.

Lelouch drew away, and Suzaku let him. "Fine. You can be my knight."

"Yeah, I know." Suzaku smirked.

"Insufferable. I knew it." But Lelouch was smiling now. It was small, but it was genuine, and it looked like he was trying not to and couldn't help it. "First things first…"

"What?"

"Telling Nunnally." Lelouch shrugged. "Then the Emperor, I suppose."

Suzaku winced – he was not looking forward to that. Informing the Emperor that you'd rather serve his little brother was an awkward conversation to have. "At least you're in his favour right now."

"Don't look so worried," Lelouch advised him. "After all, it's us. And together, we can do anything."

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A/N: Okay, NOW it's over. XD I was highly entertained by how many people thought I'd leave that last chapter as the conclusion (which would feel abrupt and kind of like a ripoff, I think).

Overall, I've been really happy with the reception of this fic, considering I've mostly written one-shot explicit slash fics for this fandom (does it show? :p). I'm taking a month-long hiatus from fic-writing, but at the end of that I'm considering finishing another one of these. There's a poll on my profile for which Turning Point I should do next, but the "Suzaku finds out Lelouch is Zero" one is a third done, so that one's next. Still, please vote because the odds of there being a third fic are pretty high.

Thanks for reading, and especially for everyone who reviewed and voted in the poll. Feedback and opinions are always wonderful!


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